Leave Me Alone
by kb0
Summary: Ginny momentarily rejects Harry at Bill's Wedding to show him how hurt she felt after he pushed her away at Dumbledore's funeral, so Harry decides he's had enough of the war and leaves on his own. Can Ginny find and convince him to come home?
1. Chapter 1

Leave Me Alone 

post HBP, A/U

PG13

Drama, Violence, Romance

When Ginny momentarily rejects Harry at Bill's Wedding to show him how hurt she felt after he pushed her away at Dumbledore's funeral, Harry decides to keep everyone safe by leaving on his own. With the Wizarding World going to hell in a hand basket, can Ginny find Harry and convince him to return not only to the Wizarding World but to her too?

A/N: This is probably the least favorite of the stories I've written, but I wanted to archive it here for those who want to read it anyway. I'll try to have the whole story up by the end of Sep 2007.

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**Chapter 1 - The Unforgiven**

Harry, Ron, and Hermione Apparated to the backyard of The Burrow. It was the same crazy yet homey looking place to him. He loved it in every way except one right now. There was a feisty petite redhead inside that he desperately wanted to hold but knew he shouldn't. He was not sure how she would react to him right now. She had not sat with them on the train ride back from school and had been quite cool to him on Platform 9 ¾ before he and his two long-time friends had left for his relatives' house. So it was with some fear and trepidation that he entered the Weasley household. Ron seemed to understand and stayed closer to Hermione than Harry in case lightning should strike, although Harry knew his friend had a secondary reason for that distance.

Over the month the trio had stayed at the Dursleys, his two best friends had come to a more cooperative understanding. That did not mean they had not bickered, Harry thought that would always be a constant in their relationship, but the level had been toned down, for which he was grateful.

They had left his relatives' house this morning, the morning of his seventeenth birthday. He never had to, and never planned to, return again. Out of some fragment of kindness, the origin of which was steeped in mystery as far as he was concerned, he had advised Aunt Petunia to move as soon as possible to avoid problems should someone come looking for him. Given her frosty expression, he assumed they would not take his advice and he had decided not to care one way or the other.

From his aunt's house, they had traveled to the Ministry of Magic via Knight Bus for Harry to take his Apparation test, and for Ron to retake it. Both boys had passed, so here he was at the Burrow. It was eight days before the wedding, which was the Saturday after next; in turn, that was three days before Ginny's birthday. He had surprised his friends by taking a few minutes to get a birthday present for Ginny while they were out. He figured it would be easier this way as he was not sure when he would be able to get away in the next week.

As they stepped into the house, they were greeted by the matriarch of the Weasleys. She greeted each with a "hello" and a hug. With Harry, she continued beyond that. "Harry, dear, are you hungry? Did those Muggles feed you enough?"

He did not get to answer though, as his friend beat him to it. "Thanks for asking, Mum," he said with some sarcasm. "We're starving. If it wasn't for Hermione being able to Apparate to the store for extra food, I think we would have starved to death."

His mother shot him a disapproving glance for interrupting, but she told them, "Follow me, I have lunch ready."

When they had sat down, Hermione turned to her hostess and asked the question that had been burning in her mind since they had arrived. "Where's Ginny?" She flicked a glance at Harry and saw him pay more attention to his food. Try as she might, she had gotten very little from her friend on the couple's breakup, other than Harry saying, "It's for the best." It was so like the boy to deny himself what he really needed for stupid and noble reasons.

"She's upstairs. She finished eating just before you got here," the mother answered.

They mostly ate in companionable silence. The various topics relating to their upcoming quest had been thoroughly discussed over the last month, at least based on what information Harry presently had from Dumbledore. It was also information that was to be shared only between the three of them.

When they took their plates to the sinks, Hermione asked, "Mrs. Weasley, is everything set for the wedding? Do you need any help?"

"No, Dear; it's all taken care of, or at least everything that can be done at this time. The flowers and food will be taken care of late next week, but other than that and setting up the chairs, it's all arranged. Why don't you three enjoy yourselves for the rest of the day. Perhaps do a little flying, I'm sure Ginny would enjoy doing that with you." Molly was concerned from what little she had heard from her daughter. Apparently, something had come between her daughter and Harry and she had no idea what. She hoped that if they spent some time together, the two could resolve their differences. Molly wanted Harry to be more a part of the family. He would be such a nice boy for her Ginny.

Surprisingly to the mother, Harry hung his head and silently left the kitchen heading to the back door by himself. She fixed her youngest boy with a stare. "What happened between them?" It was obvious he understood the question by the expression on his face. She could also see him thinking how to answer that. Hermione had a look of polite indifference.

"While I can guess, Mum, I think that is between them to work out."

Molly was surprised at the mature answer -- maybe he was starting to grow up. She nodded and turned to the dishes, leaving the two teens to their own devices.

Hermione and Ron went upstairs to drop their shrunken trunks off, as well as to pay someone a visit. They found Ginny in her room lying on her bed. She did not even look over at them when they opened the door, though her eyes were open.

"Hi Ginny," Hermione brightly said.

"Hello," Ginny absently replied.

"We're here. Harry's here too."

"That's nice," Ginny continued in the same dull, bored tone. She did not move a muscle, but Hermione noticed that the girl's wand was lying by her hand and not on the nightstand.

Hermione pulled her trunk out and set it by the twin bed she would be sleeping in before she enlarged it. "Harry's in the back garden and I think we'll go outside as well. If you want to talk to him alone or to all three of us, you're welcome to join us." Hermione gently pushed Ron out of the doorway and pulled the door to as they had found it.

After dropping off Ron's trunk, they went outside. They found a shade tree not too far from where Harry was. They could talk privately in a soft voice, yet they were close enough it would be easy to join him if necessary. The teens spent the entire afternoon that way, Harry in his thoughts on one side of the garden, Ron and Hermione in their thoughts on the other side of the garden, and Ginny up in her room.

As the sun got near the horizon, Molly Weasley called the trio in. Her husband had come home only a few minutes before. He was now aware of the situation and took it in his usual calm manner, privately agreeing with his son. He could not help noticing the chill in the air over dinner, especially from his daughter and Harry. Neither talked except when spoken to. He was not overly concerned though: as long as they both were in the same house, the Weasley curse would eventually exert itself and take care of the problem one way or another.

For as long as Arthur could remember, disagreements never lasted very long in the house. The Weasley temper just did not allow it. He figured Harry could probably hold out, but he knew his daughter would not be able to. Her red hair would assert itself and the problem would be worked out, for better or for worse. He sincerely hoped it was for the better, because he liked Harry -- he was a nice young man. In many ways, Arthur considered him their seventh son.

When dinner ended, Arthur heard his wife say, "Ginny? Would you please clean up this evening? I have something I need to do before bedtime."

"Yes, Mum," came the sullen answer.

"And Harry? Would you be a dear and help out so Ginny doesn't have to stay in there all evening?"

Arthur was not sure this meddling was the best way to solve the problem between the teens, but he supposed it would accelerate the outcome.

Unable to politely turn her down, Harry answered, "Ah, of course, Mrs. Weasley." He got up and grabbed some plates and followed Ginny into the kitchen.

Arthur looked at his wife and raised an eyebrow. He could tell she completely understood his implied question of, "Do you think that was wise?" She merely smiled back as she got up from the table. While he was not sure he agreed with her, he did not say anything and went into the living room after her. He really wanted to go out to the shed. He had found a Muggle screwdriver today that had little pieces that went into the end with different shapes on them. It also had grooves along a long shaft that seemed to force it to turn when pushed. It was most ingenious and he wanted to examine it in detail, but he thought it best to allow it to wait in case he was needed in here.

He had barely sat down when he clearly heard shouting coming through the open doorway of the dining room.

"I don't think 'Sorry' covers it, you git!" came Ginny's voice. "Do you know how much you hurt me?"

The reply could not be heard as Harry did not shout his answer.

"I don't care," Ginny shouted. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I can make up my own mind! What do you think I am, some little girl who can't take care of herself?"

Silence was the only answer Arthur got as Harry had yet to raise his voice.

"Then why the bloody hell don't you act like it. I can take care of myself as well as you can and you need me!"

"Aren't you listening?!" Harry's voice had finally become audible to those in the living room. "This isn't about what you can or can't do. This is about what could happen to you. I care for you and don't want anything to happen to you."

"Well, maybe I don't care for you anymore, because if you can hurt me once like this, who's to say you won't do it again. Maybe you're right and it's best that we're not together!" Feet went stomping off and up the stairs. A moment later, the back door was also slammed shut.

Arthur looked over at his wife. "I guess you get clean up duty after all."

Molly sighed. "That did not go quite the way I had expected, but maybe that will accelerate the healing process."

"I hope you're right," Arthur said as he got up to find his briefcase. It looked like he would get to spend some time in the shed after all. Maybe while he was puttering, he would think of some insight to share with Harry later.

With the situation and conversation still spinning in his head, Harry went back to the bench in the garden and sat. It was all so damn unfair to him, he thought. So much of it was centered around the prophecy. He pulled off his glasses and started rubbing his temples, myriads of thoughts continuing to race around in his head. It was like he was on a Muggle treadmill -- running as fast as he could but not really going anywhere.

What he really wanted was... And then it came to him. There was one solution that should make it all better for all of his friends. There were some short term disadvantages, but those should take care of themselves in time. The question was how to pull off this idea. Conversations from the last month of planning with Hermione came to him as he watched the stars come out. They really were beautiful, he noticed as he let his mind wander for a brief moment. He had liked Astronomy class, even though it had been quite useless for normal living. It was peaceful looking at the stars, the virtual star maps coming to mind.

Turning his thoughts to other maps in his mind, he rapidly came to a decision about how to proceed. The issue really came down to what time various shops in Diagon Alley opened so he could get the supplies that would be needed. Fortunately, he had been in Gringotts yesterday and had noted what time they opened, which was quite early. That worked well; he'd need to go there first anyway.

He stayed outside contemplating his plan and how it could turn out, the good and the bad. Overall, he liked it. Seeing lights go off downstairs as Mr. Weasley returned from his shed, Harry decided it was time to go in. He was somewhat amazed no one had come out to find him, especially Hermione. Whatever, or more likely whoever he thought with a grin, had stopped her, Harry was grateful. Feeling much better than he had when he had come out, he headed back inside, locking the outside door behind him. As quietly as he could, he climbed the stairs up to Ron's room. Ginny's door was closed, which he appreciated. Continuing on up the stairs, he found light coming out from under the door to Ron's room.

Just in case, he rattled the doorknob slightly before he slowly opened the door. Those precautions had been justified. Sitting on Ron's bed were his two best friends, and it looked like they had been doing more than just talking, based on their expressions. He smirked at them before he said, "Have you two finally worked things out?"

They both blushed. "We're trying to work it all out," Ron told him.

"It's really very easy," Harry told them. "Just grab each other's heads and snog for a bit. I think everything beyond that will work itself out." That caused them both to blush more. Harry opened up his small backpack and pulled out his shrunken trunk. Enlarging it, he opened it up and began rummaging around in it. Hermione took the hint.

"I'll see you later. 'Night Ron. 'Night Harry," the brunette said as she left the room.

Harry pulled off his clothes until he was down to a short-sleeved T-shirt and his boxers. Ron started doing the same. "You look like you're in a better mood now. Got things worked out?" the redhead inquired.

"Yeah, I think I have a plan in mind that should help everyone," Harry replied.

"Good, I hope things are better and there's less arguing tomorrow."

Harry thought that was ironic, considering how much his two best friends argued. It was all he could do not to laugh. As Ron turned out the light, Harry added, "I plan to apologize to Ginny, so I believe there will be a lot less arguing tomorrow."

"That's good to hear, mate. I felt sorry for you tonight."

"Ron?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for being my friend."

"No problem, Harry."

Harry went over his new plan one more time. Yes, it should work out for the best for everyone as long as he got an early start. He did not think that would be a problem, he doubted he would sleep well tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - Wherever I May Roam**

Harry's personal prophecy was self-fulfilling. He noted, with some irritation, that he had awakened about every hour and a half throughout the entire night. When the night sky had just started to lighten, he went ahead and got up.

He took off his T-shirt and very quietly changed into clean clothes. Harry wanted a shower, but that would have to wait until tonight. Pulling out a quill and some parchment, he wrote a small note. He had not had time to wrap Ginny's birthday present, so it would have to stay in the store's bag; he hoped she would understand. Whispering to Hedwig to be quiet, he put his owl into her cage. Ron continued to snore.

That was all he had to do, so he whispered the Reducing spell and shrunk his trunk back down. Packing that and making his bed, he considered his job here done. Slinging the backpack over his left shoulder and grabbing Hedwig's cage, he quietly went down one floor so he could set his note and Ginny's present down outside her door. His last task done, he carefully thought about Diagon Alley and Apparated away with the slightest of cracks.

A second later, he found himself in the shopping area outside the entrance to The Leaky Cauldron. He turned and made his way towards the bank. He only had to wait ten minutes for it to open; he was the only one present when a goblin unlocked the doors. With a smile, he went inside.

When he asked to go to his vault, a goblin that looked vaguely familiar came to take him down. Taking a guess, he asked, "Griphook?"

The goblin looked surprised. "Yes, Mr. Potter. I'm surprised you remembered me."

Harry considered it a lucky guess as it was the only Goblin name he could remember. "Say, Griphook? Do you have any bags that will allow me to carry more Galleons but will not be too heavy? I need to make a couple of large purchases."

"Certainly. For the price of twenty Galleons, we have a bag that will hold ten thousand Galleons, but has the weight of only ten coins. However, we can also do bank drafts, and that is easiest for very large purchases," the goblin informed him.

"I'll take one of the bags now please."

Griphook pulled one out from behind the counter and handed it to the young man. "I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, but your owl can not go down with us. It will need to stay here with the tellers." When Harry nodded and handed the cage over, the goblin took Hedwig in her cage and put them on a shelf behind the counter before he led the way to the tunnels and drove Mr. Potter down to his vault.

Harry decided he needed to know a few things, and that the ride was a good time to find out. "Griphook? Can I ask you some things in confidence?"

"Of course. We take our clients' privacy very seriously. We would not even tell the Ministry about your business if they asked."

"Excellent. So, I was wondering, do you have branches in other countries? And if so, how easy is it to get money from there?"

"Quite easy, Mr. Potter. I can get you a list of our branch locations in fifty-four countries when we return upstairs. You merely need to present your key for identification and you will have access to the money in your vault. The remote access fee is only a half a percent of the transaction."

"What about Muggle currency should I find myself needing that?"

"We offer conversion to every major currency of the world, for a very small fee. If you will be in the Muggle world for very long, I would suggest a credit card. Do you know what they are?"

"Yes, Griphook. Do they take long to get?"

"No, Mr. Potter. I can have one for you in a few minutes." The cart slowed. "Here is your vault." He held out his clawed hand and Harry handed the vault key over. The goblin opened the door for him.

There was a lot more gold in here now. "Where did all that come from?" It was not a wonder Malfoy did not give Harry a hard time about money. He doubted he'd ever have to work if he did not want to. As Harry looked at Griphook, he saw an unusual expression for goblins. He suspected the goblin was smiling, but all the sharp teeth made the shorter being look quite frightening.

"Since you are now of age you have access to your parent's vault as well as your trust vault. We took the liberty of combining the two for you." The smile disappeared as he went on. "You would have seen this yesterday, but the work was not done until last night as it took most of our maintenance crew that long to make the transfer. I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Potter."

"Uh, no problem. Can I get an accounting of this to know what I have?"

"Certainly, Mr. Potter. I'll be happy to get that for you when we return upstairs."

Harry filled all of his bags full. Griphook assured him he could get Muggle money upstairs which would be directly taken from his account, so he did not need to get money for that now; he only needed what he wanted to take with him.

Back upstairs, Harry got a credit card, a couple of blank bank drafts, a thousand pounds (just in case), and ten thousand American dollars. Griphook also handed him an up-to-date statement for his account, as well as literature on the bank, which listed all the branch locations. Harry was glad he had extra room in his backpack.

By the time he left the bank, it was nearing eight and the rest of the shops were starting to open. Borrowing the restroom in the bank, he applied a glamour over his scar before he left. While not totally changing him, it was a good start and hopefully good enough.

His first stop was to buy a new trunk. He used a bank draft to buy a seven compartment one like Moody had, but this one had a small apartment in it. Harry was almost certain he'd need that. He spent some extra money and got it completely furnished. His second stop was to get contacts. He thought that would help change his look some more. His third stop was at the bookstore, where he bought a large number of books about a variety of topics, including a travel guide; he was unsure what would be available at his destination. Finally, he went to a shop where he bought a wand holster that fit on his arm and was invisible with the touch of his wand. His wand was invisible too when it was in the holster.

Deciding he was now appropriately outfitted for now (he knew he could get clothes later), he went into The Leaky Cauldron for a quick breakfast. It was a little after nine o'clock and time to go. He had planned to be gone by now, but this shopping trip had been required. Thinking carefully about the shores off the English Channel where he and Dumbledore had gone to a mere couple of months of ago, Harry left with a faint crack.

The smell of the ocean greeted him, as did an unhappy hoot from Hedwig in her cage. Looking out, he saw the English Channel. Looking down to his friend, he told her, "I'm sorry to have to take you this way, Hedwig, but we'll be traveling a very long way and you really wouldn't want to fly that far." She gave him an indignant hoot, which was not hard to interpret. "I know you could make it girl, but please bear with me. I don't want to lose you. You really are my best friend." The owl gave a softer hoot.

Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out the one book he had not put into his shrunken trunk: his travel guide. Opening the book to France, he found a picture to a nice place in eastern France that was not too far away. Then, breaking several international agreements that had been made only for political purposes, Harry Apparated to eastern France. Flipping to another page for his next visualization, he went eastward to Germany. Onward he continued until half an hour later he was in Siberia.

Back home, it was only half past nine in the morning, but here, it was half past nine in the evening, and still quite light -- very bizarre. With a shrug, he turned to a new page and found a visualization for Alaska, then he started going southeast. It was a different day and nine at night by the time he came to his first Wizarding village in what the map said was the State of Washington. Though he had only been up about six hours, all the Apparating, not to mention the bad night's sleep the evening before had made him tired. He found an inn for the evening, as well as a hardy meal. It was different from Mrs. Weasley's cooking, but not unpalatable. For extra security, he slept in his new trunk, which could not be moved or opened without a password only he knew. He thought the bed felt really good when he lay down; Hedwig thought it wonderful to be stretching her wings and hunting.

The next morning after a very good breakfast, he found a bookstore in the Wizarding village, though the natives called it a town. He must have looked lost because he found the bookstore owner was at his elbow not long after he had come in the bookstore.

"May I help you, young man?"

"Uh, yes. I'm looking for a detailed travel guide for this country, especially one that shows all the Wizarding towns."

The older man smiled. "Ah, is that a British accent I detect?"

"Yes, sir. I thought I'd take a tour of the world."

"I understand. I spread my wings for a few months to check out the world when I finished school too. Over here is what you need. We don't sell many of these, but it's the best we have. It's a special addition of the Rand Atlas, charmed to show all the points of interest in the Wizarding World too as well as the Muggle world."

"Great, I'll take it. Galleons or dollars?"

"We take both, as do most Wizarding establishments here in the States." He could see Harry digging in his bag. "That will be two Galleons and a Sickle, since you're going that direction."

Harry smiled and pulled that out. "Thanks a lot."

"No problem, enjoy your journeys. Feel free to come back and let me know how it goes. We don't get many world travelers here."

With a smile, Harry thanked the man and left. He found a little coffee shop and ordered an Earl Grey tea while he looked at the book. It did not take long before he found a place that looked like fun, and the weather certainly looked more appealing than the weather he had left behind.

Finishing his tea, he tossed the paper cup and turned to the first page he had turned down the corner on. A moment later, he and Hedwig were in Wyoming. It was beautiful here. Perhaps he really should tour sometime. With that thought, he turned to the next marked page and soon found himself in Utah. The diversity was amazing. A wizard who was sweeping the porch of the shop he had Apparated in front of gave him a cheery hello. Harry smiled and returned the greeting. The man smiled at and commented on the accent.

Turning to the next page, Harry continued his journey. At two in the afternoon, local time, Harry found himself standing in the warm, even slightly hot, sunshine smelling the ocean again. The temperature was tempered by a nice breeze off the ocean, though it was more humid than what he was used to. He was now in the hidden Wizarding town of North Daytona Beach. According to the map, the Muggle town of similar name was about ten miles away and the Wizarding town was hidden in what the Muggles thought was a swamp. It seemed very weird to him, but he supposed it was normal to those who lived here.

He started walking around the town. It was a nice place, reasonably clean and the people were smiling and said hello to him. He returned the hellos or else just nodded. One thing he found fascinating was there appeared to be at least two or three of every kind of store, with signs in the windows advertising their better prices or better goods. The competition seemed friendly.

As he walked by the second bookstore, he noticed they also had a sign in the window that said they were looking for help. Pleased at his good fortune, he walked in. This was more Hermione's line of work, but he did not need the money, just a way to fit in. There were a few customers on this Saturday afternoon, so the shop owner was not totally bored. Harry walked up to the man behind the counter.

"Hello, I'd like to inquire about your sign in the window. Are you still looking for help?"

The man smiled. "I am, but you're not from around here. England I would guess, though I suppose some of the former colonies could produce your speech as well."

Harry returned the smile. "I am recently from England. I was thinking of living here and thought a job was good idea. I assume I can get a place to live if I have a job."

"Indubitably," the owner wryly replied. "My name is Mark Terrell."

Harry suddenly had a quandary. Did he want to use his real name? Deciding quickly, he introduced himself. "Nice to meet you sir. I'm Harry Patterson."

"Have you ever worked in a bookstore before?"

"No, sir. I've just finished school, but I did spend a lot of time in the library, so I know my way around."

"Are you looking for full-time or part-time work?"

"I think full-time would be best, though I could probably do part-time if I had to. What are you looking for?" Harry asked.

"Full-time. I'm all there is now and I haven't had any time off in the last two weeks. There aren't enough people who are willing to do the work; they'd rather be at the beach."

Harry smiled. "I'd like to do that too. Can I assume I will have some time off for fun?"

"Of course, I can offer you two Galleons an hour and between thirty-five and forty hours a week. If you stay more than three months, I'll add another seven Sickles an hour to that." Mark knew it was a little low, but had to start somewhere. If the young man took it and worked out, he would actually give him a bigger raise.

With a shrug, Harry said, "OK. When do you want me to start?"

Mark smiled. "Got a place live?"

"No, I was going to ask you for a recommendation."

"Go three doors down that way," he pointed with his thumb, "and ask for Gloria. For twenty Galleons, she'll show you everything in the area, set up something for rent, and also show you around town. She knows everyone and is pretty trustworthy. If she gives you any flack, tell her you're working for me. Show up at nine tomorrow morning and I'll get you started here."

"OK, thanks Mr. Terrell."

"Call me Mark, Harry. I don't know what it's like in England, as I've never been there, but we're all pretty casual here."

"Right. Thanks for the job and I'll see you tomorrow morning." Harry smiled at how easy that had been. He did not care how much he made, it was only spending money. He had more than enough in his Gringotts vault to live on.

Finding Gloria had been easy; her office door said "Real Estate and Property Management" on it. Visually, she reminded him of Rita Skeeter, but Gloria was as nice as Mrs. Weasley. By dinnertime four hours later, he had rented a small house that even came with furniture. It was a Muggle house a little outside of town and towards the beach off one of the main roads, but that did not bother him. It had two small bedrooms, the second being about the size of the one he had stayed in at the Dursleys, but the main bedroom was reasonably sized. It was clean and seemed to be well taken care of. If he had had to live off his wages at the bookstore, it would have taken everything he had just for the rent.

To make everything easier and because there was a small discount if he did so, he paid for the first six months rent in advance. Gloria took his Galleons and said she'd convert it before sending it onto the Muggle owners, who did not know there was a wizarding town nearby. That taken care of, she took him back into town to a little diner and bought him dinner with part of the fee he had paid her. He spent the next two hours listening to her talk, but it had been worth it. He now knew a lot about the area.

Harry also saw a very pretty blonde with nice legs walk in for dinner. She ate alone and quickly. Unfortunately, she left before Gloria finished her introduction to the area. Harry resolved to try and find her again. She must be a witch since she had come in there alone. Despite the fact that his heart still wanted a redhead back home, he thought the blonde might be just the thing he needed to forget his troubles and mend a wounded heart. If nothing else, she could distract his feelings for a while.

Going back to his new house, Harry unpacked. Though he could easily have emptied his trunk, he left a lot of things in it. He decided to use the apartment in it as a private storage, should someone break in. No Muggle would be able to move it or break into it.

The last thing he did for the day was to put an owl repellant charm on himself, with an exemption for Hedwig. That would help keep him safe. He probably should have done that when he left yesterday, but as none had found him yet, this would prevent any from finding him now, even if they were already in flight.

With satisfaction, he went to bed enjoying where he was. He was satisfied because he appeared to have accomplished all of his goals: he had left the war behind, his old friends would now be safe, and he was normal.


	3. Chapter 3

_ {A/N: Given the reviews I've been seeing, I think I need to make a couple of things more clear, since as my friend moshpit would say, I'm being too subtle._

_This story is about the journey of 2 teenagers growing up in less than ideal times. As the story starts, and through this chapter, almost no one is thinking correctly. Harry is clearly not thinking about the big picture. The only people mentioned so far who can claim to be reasonably blameless is Ron and Arthur. While Hermy doesn't seem too bad, what you've seen of her with her asking of questions and prompting people to go do something, is merely the tip of the iceberg and Harry has been dealing with a lot more of that for the month before the story starts. Trying to make everyone happy at the same time, including yourself, definitely leads to misery, as Harry is experiencing._

_Anyway, thing are going to appear to get worse, as actions do have consequences, before they get better. Something to remember: I do believe in happy endings (or at least not bad endings. :-) So hang on, your patience will be rewarded. _

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**Chapter 3 - Frantic**

When none of the children had come down by nine, Molly called up to them, "Kids! Breakfast is ready!"

Hermione woke with a start. It was unusual for her to oversleep like this. Quickly putting some clothes on, she chuckled at Ginny who seemed to be trying for a few extra minutes of sleep by pulling the pillow over her head. When she had come to their room last night after leaving Ron and Harry, she and Ginny had had a long talk. She now understood how Ginny felt and where the girl was coming from. It was with anticipation that Hermione was looking forward to seeing the conflict resolved between the petite redhead and Harry today.

Tying her trainers, she headed for the bathroom. After opening the door, she heard herself kick something. Looking down, she saw a bag with something in it and a piece of parchment on the floor where she had just stepped. If she did not know better, she would have said that was the bag Harry had brought back with him from Diagon Alley yesterday. She picked them both up. Seeing Harry's name at the bottom of the parchment, she read it before dealing with the bag.

_All,_

_Things are not working out anything like I had planned, so I think I need to change my plan. My presence is putting everyone in danger, so I'm leaving. I want everyone to be safe, and I think this is for the best._

_I'm sorry for not saying good-bye in person, so please consider this my good-bye. I hope everyone takes care and has a good life. Give my best to Bill and Fleur._

_Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, thank you for putting me up and taking care of me. You're as good as what I think my real parents would be like._

_Ron and Hermione, take care of each other. You've been my best friends and I hate to leave you both._

_Ginny, I'm really sorry things didn't work out for us. I can see that I am an incredible git for not understanding your feelings about me. Since you don't care for me any more and have moved on, I think this is for the best as I won't be able to stupidly hurt you any more, and now you'll be safe. I hope you find someone wonderful, someone who cares for you as much as I do. You're going to be hard to get over. I've left your birthday present here; I hope you have many happy ones in the future._

_Take care,  
Harry Potter_

"Bloody hell!" Hermione exclaimed, totally unaware of what she had said she was so shocked.

Her exclamation was echoed one floor up, but was audible at her location. "Bloody hell! Harry?" A moment later she heard thunder coming down the stairs.

Ron was in a T-shirt and his boxers. She would have ogled him had she not been so shocked at the note she had just read, as well as his scared expression, which she feared would confirm the note in her hand. "Have you seen Harry? All his stuff is gone! He better not have left without us."

Numbly, Hermione handed him the note. Looking in the bag, she did indeed see the present she knew her friend had bought yesterday. Turning around, she saw Ginny sitting in bed and looking at them quizzically.

"What?" Ginny asked.

Handing the bag over, she merely said, "It's your birthday present from Harry."

"Why? My birthday isn't for over a week. And what is Ron going on about?"

Ron finished the note and slumped against the doorway. "That bloody git!" Hermione did not correct him.

"What?" Ginny almost yelled.

"He left on the hunt without us!" Ron almost yelled, before he started mumbling about Harry's character under his breath.

Hermione did not correct him, but took the note and handed it to Ginny, knowing the note meant more than that. She also knew that Ginny's plans for today were going to go unfulfilled.

As Ginny started reading the note, her mother came up the stairs. "What is all the uncouth screaming about? Just because you're seventeen, Ron, does not give you the right to use any words you want in my house. Well?"

There was silence for a few seconds, until Ginny dropped the note, turned over in her bed to bury her face in her pillow, and started crying - hard. Hermione went over to try and comfort the girl, but knew there was probably nothing she could do. Picking the note up off the floor, she handed it to Mrs. Weasley.

Fifteen seconds later, Molly Weasley looked up. "What has he done?" She looked at Ron.

"All his things are gone, Mum. He's left to do his tasks for Dumbledore without us."

"No, he hasn't," Hermione said softly, barely audible over Ginny's muffled crying. "He's trying to hide. He thinks that if he's gone, we'll be safe. He can Apparate, use magic, and he's reasonably well trained. He's going to be very hard to find." Apparently, Ginny heard her because she started crying harder. Her silver cat pendant, with an emerald eye, on a necklace was ignored.

An hour later, a number of people were gathered around the Weasley table, including all the Weasleys who were in the country as well as the most important members of the Order of the Phoenix. A search plan was being created.

The three teens left the group and moved to the living room. "I just don't understand," Ron complained. "Why did he think he needed to run away? I thought we had a very workable plan."

Hermione looked like she was going to answer, but then didn't. When Ron looked at his sister, the girl with very red and puffy eyes answered. "It's my fault. I drove him away. I didn't mean to, but I did it anyway." Ron noticed that Hermione did not disagree.

"How?" he asked.

"When I told him that he hurt me and that I didn't care any more, I think I took away his reason to fight. I only meant to show him how he had hurt me and I was going to tell him today that I still wanted him for my boyfriend; but he took me too literally. Oh how I wish I had told him 'You hurt me and we need to talk' instead of telling him off and how maybe I was over him." Ginny could only think about what a stupid teenage girl she was, schemes and all.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, in Harry logic, it probably would look that way to him. Add that to his desire to keep everyone safe and this is the outcome - stupid boy."

Ron snorted, "Yeah, I agree with that, very stupid. Mum doesn't know what to do with her clock either. Harry's hand says he's 'On Vacation'."

They all racked their brains for places Harry could hide, but no one had any great ideas. The great search over the next week was also fruitless. After the wedding, they planned to extend the search to the continent.

* * *

On the 9th of August, Molly Weasley was watching her oldest son and his new bride dance. The food was out and everything was going well, except for the subtle pallor on everyone's mood. Damn that boy, she thought about the boy she considered her seventh son. Molly could not decide whether she would hug or hex Harry if he showed up right now.

She wanted to know he was safe, despite her clock saying he was "On Vacation". That it was the only hand on the clock that was not at "mortal peril" was significant. After Errol had come back with the letter to Harry undelivered, they had all come to the conclusion that Harry was not in England any longer. That did not help too much because as Remus had pointed out, Harry was not poor, so he could go almost anywhere in the world.

The thing that bothered Molly the most was why Harry had left. Surely he could not mean what he had written in the note he had left. After a quick course in "Harry logic" from her daughter and Hermione, she realized that Harry did mean exactly what he had said. Ginny was still kicking herself for her moment of stupidity in forgetting to take "Harry logic" into account when she had her yelling match with him. Molly had pointed out to her daughter that it was easy to make mistakes when one was young, but Ginny did not take comfort in that.

Molly watched Remus walk over to her. She could see worry with a trace of anger on his face.

"Hear anything yet?" the werewolf asked.

"No, Errol came back with the letter undelivered. How about your owl?" They had each sent one out, in case Errol died along the way.

"Same for me. Considering Hermione said they had researched a spell to make owls ignore a person, I'll assume Harry put that on himself - the little prat," he growled. "Since we had the full moon last week, I've got three weeks to go search the continent. Have you heard from Charlie?"

"Yes," the mother answered. "He's searching in his spare time, but nothing so far, at least not in Romania. He plans to start searching the surrounding countries soon." She casually looked around and saw no one nearby, but she still dropped her voice to a whisper. "What do you think about what Hermione told us last night? About 'it' and 'the tasks'?"

Remus sighed before he whispered back. "I guess we'll have to do 'the tasks' and hope that 'it' is not true. With that much pressure on him, I can see why he left. I'm tempted to as well. Still, who's to say it really has to be that way. I had always understood they were more like guidelines."

"Albus believed in it; that's why he sent James and Lily into hiding."

"I know, but there's got to be a way around it being literally true, or else we have to hope that fate will bring him home to deal with all this." Remus shook his head wanting to deny the ugly reality they were in. "Look at them," he said, changing the subject and pointing to the three teens sitting together.

It was Molly's turn to sigh. "They all look so sad, and I know that Ginny feels the worst as she feels it was her fault."

"Be sure you continue to tell her it wasn't. Maybe she added to Harry's problems, but she wasn't the only reason he left. Now that I'm finding out everything that was going on with the boy, I'm surprised he hadn't buckled before. It's all so unfair to him. It's unfair to those three as well. I'm sure they'll have a hard time concentrating in school when they go back in a few weeks."

"I agree," Molly told him. "But, it's the safest place for them, even without Dumbledore there."

"Yes, the only safer place would be headquarters, but hiding for months on end is not good for anyone," Remus said as he thought about his marauder friend whom he had lost just over a year ago. "Besides, by going to school, they learn how to defend themselves better for the next time they come home."

Molly agreed, though she did not like it, any of it.

"Would Arthur mind if you danced with me?" Remus asked the hostess.

Molly smiled. "Not at all. Thank you, Remus, for everything." The dancing lifted her spirits, but only for the duration of the song.

* * *

Harry was enjoying his day off, the first in the week since he had started working at the bookstore. In general, it had been going quite well. Mark was a pleasant enough guy to work for and the job was not too hard. He had spent any free time he had when not helping customers perusing the books on the shelf. That helped him learn what was there, as well as give him ideas for books he wanted to buy. Mark let him buy the books at cost.

He walked through the Wizarding town towards one of the clothing shops. Harry was slightly bummed, a term he had picked up this week, to have not seen the pretty blonde again. A part of his heart was still in England attached to a pretty redhead, and he felt a new girlfriend was the fastest way to get over that problem.

Walking into the clothing store, he saw no one behind the counter, so he started looking at the clothes. Wanting some casual wear for the beach, he went over to the Muggle clothes side of the store. As he was looking at some shorts, he heard a female say, "Can I help you in any way?" It was a pleasant voice, but then he liked most female voices. Turning around with a smile on his face, he froze. There was the pretty blonde. She looked to be near his age, maybe a couple of years older.

Quickly trying to come back to normal, lest he look any more like the prat he was, he answered, "Uh, I was just looking, uh, wanting something for the beach."

She gave him a pretty smile. "Well, you've come to the right place. What did you have in mind? I'll be happy to help you find it."

When she walked over, Harry glanced down at her hands and noted that all the fingers were bare. Glancing back up to her face, he saw her smile increase slightly. This was so out of character for him, but he felt he had nothing to lose. "I'm looking for some shorts and a swimsuit. My name is Harry."

"Nice to meet you, Harry." She held out her hand and Harry shook it. "I'm Rachel. Let's see what we can find for you."

An hour later, Harry had spent far more than he had planned when he walked in the door. To his good fortune, he also walked out the door with a dinner date. How he had worked up the nerve to ask her he was not sure, but blurting out the question had not put her off answering yes.

He hoped she was as nice off work as she was when she was working. He also hoped she was smart and not just a "dumb blonde". Considering their conversation during shopping, he thought she was intelligent. He also loved her accent. She had laughed and said it was a normal southern accent; she had also said she loved his British accent. Harry felt he was in heaven, especially if this worked out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - Fade To Black**

Ginny was sitting in her room at home and she was uncomfortable. The main reason for that was because home was no longer The Burrow; that had been destroyed about six months ago while she was at school. Fortunately, her mother had managed to get away with an emergency Portkey just before the Anti-Portkey ward went up. It was fortunate because the Death Eaters had already put up an Anti-Apparation ward and had blocked off the Floo.

She threw pages eight and nine of the world map down; they had been ripped out of an atlas months ago. Ginny was tired of looking at the two hemispheres with all their marks of where they thought Harry wasn't. It was so frustrating. He had been gone for a year. At the time The Burrow had been destroyed, his clock hand had still been pointing to "On Vacation"; so they knew he was alive. She was glad he was having a good time because she sure was not. In fact, no one here was having a good time, unless you asked Voldemort or the Death Eaters.

Voldemort had taken over all that was important in the Wizarding World in England. It was incredibly depressing. The Order of the Phoenix had made some progress, but it was not enough to matter. They were virtual prisoners at headquarters, and no one went out unless they had to, and then, it was always in disguise. About the only good thing was that Sirius's will had been acted upon, and Remus had ended up with Grimmauld Place as well as a nice mountain of gold. As Remus found out at the reading of the will, a slightly larger mountain of gold had been put into Harry's vault, not that the boy knew, or so they assumed. There had still been no word from or about him in the year since he had left.

Ginny considered going to find Ron and Hermione to see what they were doing, but she considered she might find them in some state of undress, so she did not bother. Their relationship had really blossomed in the last year, helped along by the war. As for her love life, it was non-existent. It was not that boys had not asked, or that she was still carrying a torch for Harry, though there was a little truth to the second idea. The problem was she was so depressed that she just did not care about boys and dating. Also, life had gotten so bad and survival was difficult enough, that she did not want to date because she did not know whom she could trust. It was sad that a date could get you killed.

Reaching down, she picked up the two halves of the map. Looking at it, she realized she had picked them up backwards and England was no longer in the center of the map, but it was on the left edge, due to the left page being on the right and the right page being on the left. She was about to swap them back to normal when she had an epiphany. She fell back on her bed as the revelation hit her. It was so bloody obvious they had all overlooked it.

She lay on the bed thinking the situation through. She now knew approximately where and how to get there. The question was how to arrange it so she had a chance at success on her search. It would have been very easy for Harry because, as Remus had pointed out, the boy had access to more money than most wizards see in a lifetime. There was only one person she had access to that had enough money to finance a trip. The question was whether to try to convince him to give her the money to search or to get him to take her. She would try for the first option but the second was acceptable. The point was to find Harry. She had turned seventeen last week, so she could do this no matter what her mother said, and she knew there would be an objection no matter how old she was.

Getting up, she did her best to school her features into something that looked normal, as opposed to how she really felt - that she was up to something. Going downstairs to search for Remus, she considered that Hermione would want to kill herself for overlooking this idea. That dark joke brightened her expression considerably.

Fortunately, Remus was in the kitchen, so she would not have to wait, potentially days, to find him. Unfortunately, almost everyone else who lived in the house was there as well, and that was a considerable number of people now.

"Remus, can I have a word with you in the library, please? I'd like to ask some things about werewolves that we didn't learn in school. I have a thought on how to approach them to help us in the war." Ginny ignored the questioning look from Hermione.

Lupin looked up at the girl, actually the pretty young woman, in front of him. There was something about this request that seemed not quite normal. He was not sure if it was the wording or something his werewolf heightened senses were picking up. "Sure, Ginny." He picked up his glass of juice and followed her upstairs. He had to blink away the lovely image in front of him; that was the wolf in him he knew. He had Tonks, who was keeping him quite happy, though they could not get officially married right now, due to both of them being fugitives. Still, it was hard not to notice that Ginny had turned into an attractive young woman.

In the library, Ginny closed the doors and put up a privacy ward. "I think I've figured out where Harry is and I need some money to go get him," she stated, jumping straight to the point.

Remus raised an eyebrow. It had been over six months since anyone had said anything close to that. In fact, pretty much everyone had given up trying to find the young man. Apparently, Ginny was the second person who had not; Remus was still looking for his self-assigned godson too. The werewolf was sure Sirius and James would have wanted him to look after Harry.

"All right, you've got my attention. Where?"

She handed him the two halves of the map she had pulled out from inside her robes. "There is one country that is so obvious we all overlooked it." She watched him put the map down on the table, placing the pages as they had been in the book they had been ripped out of.

"We've checked Ireland thoroughly."

Ginny bent over and moved the two pages so they were in the wrong places and Siberia and Alaska were now touching. "Name a large country that's easy to get lost in whose primary language is English, and does not require a boat, a plane, or otherwise require you to go through a government controlled access point if you're a wizard."

Remus slumped down into a chair as the realization hit him. "Oh, that hurts."

"Yeah, it does. It was an accident I looked at the map like this, but when I did, the country became obvious. I'd also bet that we really only have to check the major wizarding villages. I don't know how many there are, but it is a finite number. I'd be willing to bet he will be near somewhere he can get to his vaults," the girl postulated.

She watched the man rub the back of his neck as he thought it all through. "I need enough money to live on for six months. I'll take a small tent so I won't have hotel costs. I just need money for food and a few extras. Will you help me, Moony?"

He looked up at her. "You don't want to tell the others, do you?"

"No, they've given up and have more important things on their minds. We're ready for him to come back too, and the way I see it, fate says it's time. I'm just the messenger to take him fate's message."

Remus understood what she meant, and she had a point. It was time and they had been monumentally unsuccessful on their own in trying to accomplish the last step. Perhaps Harry really was required; or perhaps he was the catalyst needed for the last push to be successful. Merlin only knew how many more people would have to die before they were successful. They had already lost four on this one task, and those were only the ones that he was aware of.

He nodded. "All right, but I'm going too." When she started to protest, he held up his hand to stop her. "I know you're going to tell me it's not as dangerous over there; but I'm going for safety anyway. I know a lot more about the Muggle world than you do, and we might be in that environment more than you think. Also, the Muggle world is not as safe as you might think either."

"Not my first choice, but I'll agree. I can be ready to leave tomorrow morning," she told him.

"We'll leave next Monday. The full moon is in three days and that will give me two days to recover."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot. It's so common place to me now, I don't even think about your condition."

He smiled. "Thanks, I wish I could forget about it too." Remus thought for a moment more. "I need to go get some potion ingredients for Hermione to brew my Wolfsbane potion. Go get a disguise and you can come with me to Diagon Alley. We need to get a travel guide, some money, and probably a few other things."

* * *

On the last Monday in August, Remus and Ginny left notes saying they were going on an errand for the Order and would be back in a couple of weeks. Remus knew Molly would go through the roof when she read that, but this was the safest way to handle it. He would not have even contemplated this action if Ginny was not seventeen.

Duplicating Harry's actions more than they realized, they left early in the morning, Apparating to the white cliffs of Dover. Looking at the English Channel, Remus turned to Ginny. "Are you sure you still want to do this? We can turn back now, retrieve the notes off our beds, and your mother will be none the wiser."

She laughed. "I'm quite sure. It feels so good to be out of that house. If for nothing else, the trip will be worth it for that; but I feel we'll find him."

"Do you also feel you'll be able to convince him to return?"

"I think so. I used to be his girlfriend, so I have an idea or two. I'll use my feminine charms if I must." The idea that he might have a girlfriend did not even enter into her head.

Remus smiled and shook his head as he pulled a book out of his backpack. Shrugging his backpack back on, he turned to France in the travel guide book and showed Ginny. "Fix this firmly in your mind, then Apparate." After she left, Remus followed and found her waiting on him. He flipped the pages in the book to Germany. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

As they arrived in their first Wizarding village in the continental United States, it was a little after seven in the evening. They looked around and saw that some things were the same, yet others were different. The biggest difference seemed to be that life was more casual here, at least judging by the dress. Deciding that dinner was in order, they found a place to eat.

The few people they had talked to had been quite friendly. Remus appreciated that. As they paid for their dinner, Remus told the man that the food had been good. The slightly balding man was obviously the owner of the place, based on the look of pride on his face.

"Why thank you, I do appreciate that. Say, are you from Britain too?"

"Too?" Remus was puzzled.

"Yes. We don't get too many Brits in here. Last one was, uh, let's see, last summer I believe. A young man, or would you call him a young chap?" Remus wanted to roll his eyes at the language butchering, but he supposed he should be kind as they guy was being friendly.

"Did he look something like this?" Ginny asked holding out a picture she had brought with her. It was a Muggle photo she had of Harry.

The man took the photo and looked it over. "Hmm, it's been a while you understand, so I don't remember exactly, but that could be him. It doesn't look quite right, but he did have dark hair as I recall. Definitely didn't have a scar, I'd have remembered that."

Ginny had been ready for this, it was part of her planning. She pulled a small stack of photos out of her pocket, sorting through them until she found the one she wanted. Handing another over, she asked, "More like this?" They swapped photos, the man now holding one of Harry without his scar.

"Maybe..."

"Or this?" she handed another doctored photo over. This one had no scar and no glasses.

"Hmm, I think this last one. I'm sorry, it's just been too long and I only saw him for one meal," the balding man said.

Ginny smiled. "Thank you, anyway. At least we know my friend made it this far."

"Can you direct us to the nearest bookstore?" Remus asked.

"Sure, down that way and on your right. You can't miss it. You'll have to hurry, they close soon," the diner's owner told them.

In the bookstore, a man helped them find a travel guide for the US. On a hunch, Ginny showed him the photos of Harry.

"Ah, yes, I remember him now. He was also British and very nice. Hmm, I think this one without the glasses. I remember a thinner face and the glasses prevent that. We don't sell many travel guides, or see many Brits, so he does stick out in my mind."

"Did he say where he was going?" Remus asked, starting to have hope of finding Harry for the first time since the boy's disappearance.

"No, I don't think he did, or else I don't remember. I'm sorry; I hope you find your friend."

They thanked him and left. Walking outside of town, they found a small clearing in the woods and pitched the tiny tent; at least it looked like a one person pup-tent on the outside. On the inside, there were two bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom, and a living room, though all the rooms were small. It was the tent Remus used from time to time when he had to stay out on Order business.

They gathered around their new travel guide, looking at the list of Wizarding cities. There were fourteen major ones with a Gringotts bank in them, forty-four decent sized ones, and many more small enclaves of wizards around the country. They had a major choice to make. Did they go south to a place called San Francisco, or southeast to a place called Salt Lake City? Neither name meant anything to either of them.

Looking over the map of the whole country, as well as reading a little about the fourteen major Wizarding towns, Ginny decided Harry would have gone to the east coast. She was not sure why, but something about that area seemed "more Harry". Remus was clueless about what Harry might pick, so he followed her lead. She had gotten them to the right country as they had a confirmed Harry sighting. He thought about sending a note back home, but decided to wait to see what they could find over the next few days.

The next day, they made it to right outside Salt Lake City in two hops. A day of asking around produced nothing useful. From there the choice was to go to Chicago or Dallas. Ginny thought for a couple of minutes and decided to go south. Three hops the next morning put them outside of Dallas, and at lunchtime, they had another confirmed Harry sighting; this time with a snowy owl in a cage. Fortunately, the Wizarding communities were just small enough that it was possible to find someone like this, at least someone who had a British accent and a snowy owl in a cage. Ginny was thankful for their accent standing out.

Bolstered by their success, they continued eastward towards Atlanta. The afternoon was a bust and they spent the night there. Ginny's thought was Harry had gone to the beach, as she had remembered him saying at times how much he liked the warm sun. So she decided to try Miami first then work northward. She also noticed a few of the medium sized Wizarding villages on the beach northward and three of the four were within one Apparation jump for a normal person to Miami. Remus agreed they were viable candidates too, and actually even better choices as Harry could live in a more out of the way place, but still easily get to the bank in Miami.

A day in Miami turned up nothing. The next morning, they went to near West Palm Beach and came up empty. The afternoon was spent in North Daytona Beach. Harry was not personally found there either, but the restaurant owner said he knew a Harry Patterson that lived around there and looked a lot like the photo.

Remus and Ginny looked at each other and smiled. Further inquiry of the man got them the information that he worked at one of the local bookstores. With that in mind, they went looking for him. Walking around town in the direction of the bookstore, Ginny saw someone about her age walking the other way. "Remus, look. What do you think?"

The young man looked to be about eighteen to twenty with short spiky dark brown hair that was somewhat sun-bleached. He was not wearing Harry's normal glasses, but sunglasses. The facial features were not quite right, but they were close. Of course, that could be just because he had been eating well and had grown up some more. Just as he got to a shop, a pretty blonde girl walked out and up to the boy. They kissed with obvious familiarity. When they parted, Ginny could see them talking.

"Shall we go find out if that's him?" Ginny asked her travel companion.

The couple Apparated away before Remus could answer. "Oh bloody hell, this is so unfair!" Ginny whined.

Remus could not help but laugh. "Ginny, we travel more than halfway around the world, found sightings of him, and think we've found where he lives, and you're unhappy? If only more of my Order missions could be this unhappy. This is simple compared to some of the things I've attempted."

"You have a point I suppose. Still, we don't know for sure if that's him or not. Let's go get some food and set up camp. I'm not leaving this place until we find that boy again and know whether that's our Harry."

Moony could see the determination on her face and hear it in her voice. He also happened to agree with her.

They found a local food mart that sold a little bit of everything. It seemed to be the way things were done here, which was not like it was back at home. Getting a few bags of food, they left the city and found a nice little place that looked pretty hidden. Since they would probably be there for more than over night, Remus cast a few spells to hide the tent to all but them. While he did that, Ginny started dinner. Not that it really mattered who cooked, they were both pretty average in the kitchen.

While they were eating, Ginny looked at Remus with a question all over her face.

"What?" the man asked.

"Do you know of a way to see through glamours? What if the problem we're having is because Harry is wearing a glamour so he doesn't look like we think he does?"

Remus groaned. "If that's true, he could be in almost any city and we'd have to start over."

"I don't think so," Ginny disagreed with him. "I think we've found him, but it would be nice to be more sure of ourselves before we go ask."

Moony finished off his food. "Clean up and I'll see what I can do. When you finish, put a few glamours on yourself so I can test it." She agreed so Moony went to work on his sunglasses.

When Ginny joined him, he noticed she now had brown hair and no freckles. Her face also seemed rounder. He held his glasses up and she did not change. With a scowl, he got back to work while she picked up the travel guide to read about North Daytona Beach some more, as well as the other Wizarding communities in Florida.

A half hour later, she heard Remus exclaim, "Ah-ha! Got it!" He put some glamours on himself and handed his glasses over. Ginny saw blonde Remus normally. With the glasses he looked his normal graying self.

"Brilliant!" she congratulated him.

"I wasn't the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for nothing," he told her with a smile. "Give me your sunglasses and I'll do the same."

They were getting close, Ginny was so sure, she could feel it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - St. Anger**

It had been quite frustrating for Ginny. It was the third day since they had seen Harry Patterson. The next day after they had seen him, they had just hung around town, but he was not to be seen. The following day, they had tracked down the bookstore where he worked. The owner, Mark, said that Harry had taken a couple days off to go to the beach. He was supposed to be back tomorrow, though he did not have to work until the next day.

So Ginny had bought a book and sat on the bench outside the bookstore and read, while casually watching the people go by. Remus was doing the same thing, but at the other end of town. If Mark was right, Harry should return some time today. If she was lucky, she'd find him today. If not, he was supposed to work tomorrow and she'd catch him then.

Ginny was reading about how American Wizards mimicked some Muggle devices to make life easier. The hair dryer, which was a low powered warming charm with a mild wind charm in a tube and was activated by touching your wand to it to give it a little charge, was holding her attention at the moment. Just as she determined to get one of those to take back with her to help with her long hair, she heard her eighth faint Apparation crack of the day. Looking up, she saw her man not too far away. He walked into the restaurant in front of him.

She smiled and pulled a small mirror out of her pocket. "Remus?" She waited until his face came on the mirror. "He just walked into the _Pot & Kettle_. I'm going there now; come join me as soon as you can." With anticipation, she put the mirror up and walked over to the restaurant. She shrunk the book while she walked, then put it in her pocket. Her wand also went into her pocket. There was no need to get anyone alarmed, she thought. There were around two hundred people in this wizarding community. It was big enough that one more witch did not stand out too much, but small enough that everyone who lived here knew she did not. Also, she was the only redhead she had seen here so far. Most of the people here were blonds, though she was almost sure many of then were either fake or sun-bleached.

From the doorway, Ginny looked around with her magical sunglasses on. She finally found the person she thought was Harry. He was not wearing glasses and had a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead; the shape of his face looked right too. He was looking at the menu and did not see her. Pocketing her sunglasses, she noticed no change in his appearance other than his scar disappearing. Deciding to get this over with as fast as possible, she approached him. While hoping for success, and she also prepared herself for embarrassment if he was not who she thought he was.

Arriving at his table and mustering the most normal voice she could, despite that fact that she was now a nervous wreck, she said, "Harry? Is that you?"

Ginny knew she had found him when his jaw dropped and he froze in shock at seeing her. She never got another word out because that was the moment the pretty blonde girl walked in and up to the same table.

"Harry?" When Harry did not move, the girl whipped out a wand, from where Ginny did not know, and pointed it straight at her. "What have you done to him?"

It did not take long for Ginny to notice that this witch meant business. It also was easy to notice that she was stunning in every way. She was probably almost as tall as Harry, had great legs and a curvaceous figure, not to mention a pretty face and long blonde hair. There was not a flaw on her perfectly tanned skin. It was with great sadness that Ginny admitted that she could find no fault with the girl's looks. She wondered if there were glamours involved. "N-Nothing," Ginny finally got out. "I didn't do anything to him."

"Ginny?" Harry finally came back to life.

The blonde witch looked at the newcomer very carefully. She was maybe a couple years younger than herself. Her long red hair was unusual in this part of the world, and her light freckles spoke that her fair complexion and red hair were natural. The petite girl might have reached five-five and was quite slim. Her large brown eyes seem to contain much emotion, but the blonde was not sure what was there in the stranger.

At that time, the three noticed an older looking man walk in. Harry was the first to speak this time. "Remus?"

"Harry, is that really you?" The man quickly walked over and then seemed to restrain himself as he arrived at the table.

"Who are these people, Harry?" The blonde did not put her wand away.

With a shake of his head, Harry seemed to come back to reality. "That man is Remus, he was a friend of my parents and one of my former professors. This girl is Ginny, a friend from my school," he paused slightly as he made up his mind, "and my former girlfriend. They're both from England, obviously. Ginny, Remus, meet Rachel, my girlfriend."

Ginny was relieved that Rachel was only a girlfriend, as much as that hurt, but it gave her a small hope that things were not permanent - yet. Still, she was not the kind to intrude into another's relationship, and she had made a major mistake that had allowed this to happen, so she was not going to get in the way.

When everyone seemed to nod at each other, Harry finally asked, "What are you doing here?"

"We've come searching for you, Harry. We need you to come home to help," Ginny explained. Remus had agreed to let her make the plea, unless there were too many bad looks coming from Harry.

His face instantly clouded. "That can _not_ be discussed here."

"If you want," Rachel spoke up, "I'll volunteer the back room of my shop."

Harry still looked quite unhappy, but he gave an exasperated, "Fine." He looked at the two visitors still upset, though he asked, "Each of you want a burger? I'm hungry and I did come here to eat." He got two nods, and as he knew what Rachel liked, he went over to the guy behind the counter, who had been watching the whole scene very carefully. "Charlie, I'll take four burger combo plates to go."

"Sure thing, Harry. Give me a few minutes." Charlie turned around and shouted the order back into the kitchen.

Harry walked back over to the table and sat. Everyone else sat down, though no one seemed anxious to talk. After a minute, Harry finally asked, "Where are you staying?"

"I've got my two bedroom tent. It's hidden outside of town. It's the cheapest way to travel," Remus explained.

Harry nodded, although he did not say anything else until Charlie called him over a few minutes later. Harry pulled out a few bills and put them down on the counter and grabbed the bags. "This way," he told his friends and walked out leading the way.

Remus noticed that Harry's girlfriend hung back so she was behind them. Her wand was now put away, but he doubted she'd be slow in getting it out. She had a look that said she knew what to do with a wand.

A minute later, they came to a shop named "Rachel's Robes". Remus was impressed that a girl of nineteen or as much as twenty-two could have her own shop.

"Hi, Pat," Harry said as he walked into the shop and towards the back. The light brunette waved at him. She almost stopped the two visitors, when Rachel came in and waved her off. In the back room were a table and a couple chairs. Harry pulled out his wand and conjured two more wooden chairs.

"Everyone gets one of everything," he told the foursome before stuck his head back out. "Pat? We need some privacy for a while, so please don't disturb us unless the place catches on fire." He then waved his wand around putting up privacy charms before he rejoined the small group taking the last burger, fries, and can of cola.

They all started eating, no one was talking. Halfway through his burger, Harry broke the tense silence by asking, "So how did you find me?"

Ginny wiped her mouth, clearing it of some mustard. "Luck really. It wasn't until last week that I finally realized you came to America and how you got here by Apparating across the Bering Straight. That was the hard part, as we didn't think you could have flown without a valid passport and all, though Tonks thought you might have been able to duplicate someone else's and make it work just long enough to get somewhere. Once we got to Washington, we started showing your photo around and asking about people with a British accent who came through last summer. That took us as far as Dallas. From there we continued southeast making a guess based on your general direction. We then started traveling the coast and showing your photo until we found someone who recognized you. Then about three days ago, we saw you for a few seconds before you and Rachel Apparated away. We've been waiting for you to come back."

Harry finished his burger and slowly munched on his fries. "Why did you come to find me? Wasn't my note clear enough?"

Ginny had to take the question at face value; she could get no indication of his feelings, other than annoyance from his tone of voice. "We need you to come home to fulfill the prophecy."

"You have a prophecy about you?" Rachel asked in amazement.

"Made by some crackpot," Harry told her. "Look, as Dumbledore pointed out to me, just because there is a prophecy does not mean it has to happen. It's only true if the people involved believe and act on it. While I may have started acting on it when I was younger, I choose not to now."

"But Harry, you're the only one who can kill Voldemort. That's what the prophecy says and you know it's true." At his questioning look, she admitted, "Yes, Hermione told us. After it was obvious that you really had left and weren't coming back, she told us and a few key people in the Order about the Prophecy, the Horcruxes Voldemort created, and everything."

"What? The evil wizard created a Horcrux?" Rachel was astounded.

"Actually, he created six," Harry casually answered. "He thought seven was such a wonderful number that he wanted his soul in seven parts."

"You know what a Horcrux is, Rachel?" Remus asked.

"Yes," the blonde admitted, "but I doubt you'll find many here that do know. I only know because I was in an advanced class in my school, and they were only mentioned in the briefest of terms. And he did six? He's hardly human any more then. In fact, I'm surprised he can even function."

"What do you mean?" Remus asked.

"Every time you create one, it splits your soul in half. So the first Horcrux is pretty, ah, full I guess you'd say, and the person is still mostly normal with half his soul left. By the time you've done that six times," she paused and looked up for a couple of seconds, her lips moving as she thought. "Uh, that would leave you with something like less than two percent of your soul left. That's not much and he'd be more automaton than human. I also doubt he could create another one if he tried."

"He is quite evil," Ginny pointed. "No conscience at all."

"You shouldn't be surprised at what Rachel knows. She was the equivalent of Head Girl at her school and would give Hermione a run for her money." Harry returned them to the topic. "So have you destroyed all six of the Horcruxes?"

"We destroyed all by one: Nagini." Remus informed him. "I'm aware of four people who have died trying to kill the snake. The best we've managed so far is confirm that the snake is a Horcrux."

Harry shrugged. "I would suggest you return to England and gather a large number of people, trap Voldemort in an area with Anti-Apparation and Anti-Portkey wards, and overpower him with spells to take care of him. Enough people firing enough curses can take anyone down. It doesn't have to be a one on one duel to defeat him, you know."

"You don't understand what it's like, Harry." Ginny started.

Harry interrupted her by standing abruptly and knocking his chair down behind him. There was suddenly a feeling of power in the room and Harry's look intensified in his obvious anger. "No! You don't understand! That is _not_ my life anymore, I've left it behind. Go and leave me alone. I'm happy here and I have no intention of returning with you. If required, Rachel and I could disappear and this time we would not go to a Wizarding area and you would never find us. The world is a very large place."

Rachel stood and stepped to his side, slowly put her arms around Harry to draw him close, comforting him, trying to relax him.

Ginny saw the prefect blonde pressing herself again Harry. She was very possessive in how she did it; the body language screamed that he was hers. That saddened the redhead, but this mission was not about reclaiming a boyfriend; that would have been a fringe benefit. This mission was about saving her family and a country. As she started to try to explain that, Rachel started talking first.

"I think it's best if you go now. There's an inn at the south end of town that would probably be more comfortable than your tent, assuming you're staying overnight before you leave tomorrow. But whatever you do, leave Harry alone." The tone of her voice implied a threat, the look on her face implied she felt capable of making the threat happen.

Remus did not know if the girl was bluffing or not, but he knew Harry well enough to know that nothing more could be accomplished today. He put a hand on Ginny's arm to get her attention. "I believe we should go, Ginny." Remus slowly stood and also slowly backed towards the door. He had no idea if Harry could do wandless magic, but the power display he had just seen made Remus not want to find out the hard way. "Have a good evening and thanks for the meal. We'll speak with you another day." Harry continued to glare at them as they left.

Ginny slowly followed his lead and left with her escort. At least they had found him and he had not hexed them on sight. Outside, she told her companion, "Let's stop by the post office on the way back to the tent." Remus shrugged and followed. Going into the office just before closing time, Ginny sent a message homeward via an address in Paris saying, "_We've found him and are talking to him. We're safe. Love G._" She felt that would be obscure enough that Death Eaters would not know who she meant should they capture the message, and her friends back home would know, because the note she'd left on her bed said she was off searching for Harry.

Happy they had found Harry, yet sad that he did not want to come home, the two went back to their tent to come up with ideas on what to do. Tomorrow would be another day, perhaps they could convince Harry in some other way.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - I Saw Her Standing There**

As his two old friends left, Harry pulled away from Rachel and started pacing. "Damn them! Why won't they leave me alone?"

Rachel silently watched him, trying to figure what was the best thing she could to do for him. At the moment, the answer seemed to be to just let him rant.

"I mean, you would think that a note saying _**good-bye you're better off without me**_ would be plain enough. I wish them a nice life, but that's not my life any more," he argued against a non-existent opponent. After a pause, he ended with, "Maybe we should just leave and disappear, but that doesn't seem fair to you." His tone of voice was almost normal again as he finished speaking.

Now that he was calmer, Rachel grabbed his arm as he walked by and pulled him to her. "Harry, let's go to my house and talk for awhile. We can have dinner, even go to the beach for the evening. You know, get away and forget about your old friends bringing you problems for a little while."

He wrapped his arms around her. "How do you know what to always do for me? You're just so perfect."

Rachel gave him a light laugh. "Hardly, but I'm glad I have you fooled. Head on and I'll be there in a minute after I tell Pat she has the shop for the rest of the day."

Harry gave his girlfriend a quick kiss and left. He Apparated into her living room and looked around to see if she had changed anything recently. She did move things around from time to time, but overall, it was a nice place. There were a number of girly things, like the lacey pillows and the photos over the mantle; but for the most part, it was a clean and functional place with just enough extra touches that just said "comfort" or "home".

Harry checked the shelf to see if there were any new pictures; there were not. It still held the dozen of so of her with her older sister, the girls and her parents, and several of Rachel and him.

A small crack behind him told him she was there. While he knew it had to be her, he still turned around and looked, his hand near his wand, just in case. "I have a chicken and rice dish that can be ready soon. How does that sound?"

"Sure, that sounds good. I'm not overly hungry so no hurry." He watched her walk into the kitchen, enjoying her motion. In fact, he enjoyed everything about how she looked. Harry followed her and stood in the doorway to the kitchen. "How did I get so lucky with you?"

Her light laughter came out again. "You know, you just got lucky that you were at the right place at the right time." She pulled out a pot so she could start cooking the chicken. "Of course, it helped that you were cute and shy and acting like you were clueless."

Harry snorted. "I was clueless; I've never been good with girls."

"And that's why I said yes. You weren't acting like you were trying to conqueror me, but like you wanted to get to know me to see if we could be friends, and maybe more if it all worked out. That's what made you special." Rachel hummed softly for a moment while she finished up the chicken. "There, that will take awhile. Let's go in the living room." She grabbed his hand and pulled him back into the living room and onto the couch. After depositing him there, she moved over to an upright piano at the side of the room.

Harry watched Rachel sit down on the piano bench and start playing a medium speed piece. He leaned his head back and just listened to her for the next few minutes, hearing the slow runs up and down the keyboard. He was so mesmerized he only realized she had stopped when she spoke to him.

"Feeling more relaxed now?"

He opened his eyes and saw her looking at him with a curious smile on her face. "Yes. See you are perfect; you realized that's what I needed."

Again she chuckled at his comment on her. "Harry, Harry, Harry. Yes, I can play the piano, but I can barely carry a tune while I'm singing, I'm almost dreadful doing that. And while I can cook, you know you can cook better than I can when you want to."

Harry snorted. "I don't think so, but thanks for the thought."

"You know it's true, just like you know that you can usually out-duel me too. If I was perfect, I could beat you every time."

While he laughed, Rachel got up from the piano and walked over to sit near the other end of the couch, after which she pulled him over and laid his head on her lap.

"And my thighs are definitely bigger than they should be," she told him seriously.

"Are not," he argued. "I like them just like they are."

"Well, I guess you should know, considering how much time you spend looking at my legs," she teased him.

He chuckled and blew her a kiss.

"Now, let's talk out your friends and how you really feel," she all but commanded him as she started running her fingers through his hair.

Harry blew out a breath of air. "Don't know that I want to," he told her with some petulance as a portion of his previous anger came back.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Ignore the news they just brought. How do you feel about _them_?"

He thought for a some long seconds before he answered, "They're still my friends, I suppose. But I don't understand why they think they can rule my life. That's one of the things I like about you: you don't treat me like an idiot and tell me what I have to do, at least for really important things."

A soft laugh came from Rachel. "Yeah, because we all know I do exactly that for all the little things."

"You know what I mean. If something really important came along, you would talk to me about it."

"Yes, I would. It does seem the proper thing to do. But tell me Harry, is it really the message that they want you to come back to England to fight the problem? Or is it who's bringing you the message?"

A smile came over Harry's face. "You're not jealous of Ginny, are you?"

Something like a snort escaped Rachel. "Hardly. I've been with you for the last year, not her. So I believe that means I have your attention more than she does. I'm just wondering if she means more to you than you're letting on, and that's what's bothering you."

Harry thought about that. "I don't think so. I walked away from her because it was the best thing for everyone."

"And you don't feel guilty about that?" she asked innocently. As he was about to answer, she tacked on, "Honestly now."

"No, or at least not too much. If they had come to find me within the first month after I left, maybe I would have, but after all this time, I don't think so. Also, she told me she didn't want me around."

"I see," she said, as a bell in the kitchen dinged. "Dinner's almost ready. Let me go finish the last part and we can eat." They both got up and headed toward the kitchen, their discussion postponed for a while.

After dinner and a few spells to make the dishes wash and dry themselves, they both Apparated to their special place on the beach. It was as deserted as usual, which they both liked.

"Rachel, have you ever seen real war?" Harry asked after they had sat down, she in front of him leaning against his chest with his arms wrapped around her. They both watched the waves and the occasional sea gull.

"No, Harry, I haven't. We've seen movies about Muggle wars and some of the more recent ones seem pretty vivid, but I've never been in one. Why?"

He rubbed his cheek against her head, enjoying the smell of her hair. "I've been in a few battles and it's not very pretty. People you care for can get hurt, they can even," he paused for several long seconds before he finally said with a lot of emotion, "die. It's not a fun thing."

Rachel turned and sat sideways in his lap so she could see his face. Winding her arms around his neck, she asked, "Is that why you don't want to go back? Too many bad memories?" This conversation was similar to the one they had not long after they had first met and when she found out who he really was. Unfortunately, she still did not know the full story of his life before her.

"That's a lot of it..."

She waited for more, but when he did not say anything, she asked, "What else is there, Harry?"

He pulled her tight against him, trying to draw comfort from her. With a soft voice, he confessed, "I'm not sure that's my home any more."

"Why not?"

Harry did not answer. Instead, he started trailing light kisses down her face, starting at her temple.

As he reached her neck, Rachel squealed, "Harry!" and squirmed from the ticklish feeling, trying to move away from his lips. "You didn't answer my question -- why not?"

He stopped for a moment and sighed. "I don't know, it just isn't anymore." He lightly kissed her ear before he continued. "I still care for my best friends, Ron and Hermione, Remus, and Ginny along with her family too; but it's just not the same anymore. Maybe I changed or something." He went back to giving her light kisses.

Rachel considered that. About the only thing she could say for sure was that he had changed, or else he was deluding himself and hiding from a problem.

"Why? Do you want me to leave you?" he asked her after some silence.

"No, of course not. I could come with you. Or you could go help them and come back," she pointed out to him.

A snort escaped him. "Sorry, Love; my coming back is not guaranteed. War is unpredictable."

"You said there was a prophecy. What did it say?"

Harry stopped teasing her with his lips and sighed heavily. "Now there's a mood-killer. Basically, I'm the only one that can kill him and either he dies or I do. But as my Headmaster pointed out to me, just because we have a prophecy, doesn't mean life has to be that way. It will happen only if all the parties believe it and live that way, or something to that effect. Did you study Divination in school?"

"Hardly," Rachel answered. "I don't believe there's much to Divination. Maybe it once happened, but I don't see much evidence of it being a real thing nowadays."

"Generally, I agree with you, but I did see our Divination teacher make one accurate prediction once. Other than that, she's the biggest fraud I've ever seen."

Rachel chuckled slightly. "Well, I guess everyone gets lucky sometimes. Are you sure there's not something else?"

He took a deep breath to consider whether he wanted to answer her. Like Hermione, she seemed to know when to keep digging. "I was tired of it all," he finally told her.

Now we're getting somewhere, Rachel thought to herself. "Tired of what?"

"Tired of the pressure, tired of the expectations put on me, tired of all the people trying to manipulate me, tired of all the bad things that kept happening, tired of unable to be normal; you know, just tired of my life there." He was barely audible in his confession. "I just got to the point I didn't care anymore, especially when someone I thought who cared about me didn't seem to anymore. I didn't care about life anymore, but I still wanted them to be safe, so I left."

Rachel felt she now understood. "Now that you've had time away, do you care now? Could you care again?"

"Why? Do you want me to go?"

"No, I didn't say that. I just want to know what you're thinking."

After some thought, Harry finally told her, "I don't know. I really don't know. It's not so painful to think about all that now; but I still feel like their asking me to come back to fight is manipulating me -- at least a little."

She kissed him gently. "It's OK to not know what you want sometimes, but you are going to have to figure it out eventually."

Harry smirked at her and started caressing her side from her hip up until his wrist pushed against the bottom her breast and then back down again. "I know what I really want right now -- you!" His voice was very playful, the seriousness of the topic pushed away.

She reached up with both hands and grabbed his head and pulled it to her for a deep kiss. Rachel held nothing back as she kissed him and then gently sucked on his lower lip.

With a growl, Harry put his hands on her sides and leaned back, pulling her with him so she mostly laid on top of him. Rachel moved slightly to make herself more comfortable as she rested on him and continued to kiss him.

Eventually, she came up for air and breathed in his ear. "Let's go back to my place. I don't want anyone coming across us."

Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I like your idea..."

Before she knew what was happening, Rachel felt as if she was being squeezed down and pushed into a tube. A second later, she and her boyfriend were lying on her bed. "Harry! Don't do that! You could get us splinched."

He laughed and kissed her briefly. "Not likely." His left hand went up to the back of her head to pull it down so he could kiss her, while his right hand started caressing downward. It was quite some time before they went to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Harry woke to find he was alone in her bed. Listening carefully, he heard sounds coming from the kitchen. Getting up wearing just his boxers, he did a quick Scourgify on his clothes and put them back on; that would last him until he could get home to change in a little while. Slowly padding out of her bedroom, he did find her in the kitchen. He stood in the doorway and silently watched her cook.

Bacon and eggs were sitting on two plates as she finished up a small portion of grits, something he decided he did not like, no matter how many people in this area of the world did. The toaster dinged and two pieces of toast popped up. She put both pieces of toast on one plate and the grits on the other. Turning off the stove, she picked up the plates and turned to the little dining table she had and gasped as she finally saw him. "Harry! Don't do that to me; I almost dropped our breakfast."

He smiled and walked over to join her at the table. He poured some coffee for both of them. Harry decided that coffee was not too bad, so he had it at her house. Of course, when she stayed at his house, he only made tea to even things out. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," he gave her a casual apology. "I just enjoy watching you. You do so many things well."

"Are you saying I'm a good catch?" she teased him.

Harry chuckled. She enjoyed teasing him, and he admitted to himself that he liked her doing it. Although, he had also noticed that some of her teases were starting to have the same theme. He was starting to feel she was trying to give him hints.

"I wouldn't throw you back," he returned with a big grin. She laughed with him, undoubtedly also thinking about the fishing trip they had gone on together about four months ago. It had been a lot of fun, even if they had thrown most of their catch back, as it had been too small. Still, when the day was done, they had several nice fish to take home with them. Harry was not ever going to be a fanatic about fishing, but he had enjoyed the day with her.

"Ah, you're so sweet," she told him in a sugary voice and blew him a kiss.

He loved her flirting. "So, what are you going to do today? The usual?"

"Yes," she answered losing most of the teasing. "More of the same. I'll open the shop and work the whole day until it closes at seven. Pat has the day off." Her smile returned as she asked him, "So how about dinner at your place and you cook?"

Harry swallowed his half-eaten toast. "Sure, I'll be off by six. Hey, I got this new Charms book yesterday. How about we look at it together when you come over? It's got some pretty advanced spells in it."

"Oh, like what?" she wondered.

"It talks about making the duration of your spells last longer and also gives some theory on what really happens when you transfigure a conjured object. It's pretty detailed and beyond NEWT level," he explained.

"Really? It gives the theory on all that?" She was truly interested.

"That's what it says. We can sit down and look at it with some Butterbeers after dinner."

"OK," she agreed.

"You know you only have yourself to blame for boring evenings like this," he teased her.

She stopped eating and tilted her head while raising an eyebrow at him. "And how do you figure that?" she drawled. Her look added: And you'd better make this good.

"Simple," he told her. "I was never that interested in theory before I met you. My friend Hermione was into this sort of thing, but she never presented it like you do."

"You make it sound like that's a bad thing."

Harry finally clued into the fact that he might not be saying what he meant in the best way possible right now based on the looks he was receiving. Taking care, he said, "No, it's not bad at all. In fact, it's a testament to how well you explain things that you can make any thing interesting. Because of your good teaching, I now care about theory." He gave her a small smile.

A smile finally came back to her face. "Nice save, Harry." Rachel chuckled when he mimed wiping sweat from his brow. "Be a dear and wash the dishes for me, I need to leave to open up my shop." Rising, she took a step towards him and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be at your place a little after seven. Bye, Love!" With a small crack, she left.

Harry smiled to himself. He really was a lucky guy to have her. She was smart, fun to be around, and incredible looking. They also got along very well. He pulled out his wand and with a couple of spells, he made the dishes and the pans wash and dry themselves. As he watched, he considered the hint she had dropped this morning. He could do a lot worse than her -- a LOT worse.

Of course, he had dated so little, he had few comparisons to make. Cho barely made the chart; she was really only useful as a bad example. The few weeks he'd had with Ginny had been nice, and while he had truly treasured her at the time, things just had not worked out for them. Then there was Rachel, who was almost perfect. True, she sometimes lacked the spark that Ginny had, but Rachel was not far behind, and Rachel had a more consistent personality. Yes, Rachel had a lot going for her.

With one last spell, Harry directed the now dry dishes and pans back to their rightful places in the cabinets. Concentrating, he Apparated back home for a quick shower and some different clothes before he left for work. It was off to another typical day in the life of Harry Potter with his wonderful girlfriend.

* * *

_A/N: For those that are wondering exactly how far Harry's and Rachel's relationship go, if I've done my job well, it should be ambiguous, as "to sleep with" has two different meanings. I've purposely done that so you, the reader, can decide. :-) Do I have a thought or preference on this? Yes, and it will come out in a later chapter; but feel free to make up your own mind._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 - Sad But True**

The two travelers continued to camp out. While they spent most of their time just hanging around town, trying to get Harry used to the idea of seeing them again, they also spent a little time sight-seeing and checked out the beach. It did not take Ginny long to see why Harry loved it here. Although she required her best Sun-Block charm, she decided that the hot sands and warm water were really nice. Playing in the waves was fun too. All she needed was a nice boyfriend to rub lotion on her. Alas, as Dumbledore would have said, the boy she wanted was unavailable.

Just to satisfy her curiosity, Ginny had even taken a peek at Miss Perfect with her special sun glasses and found she was wearing no glamours. All that wonderful perfection was real. Ginny found that sickening. Rachel was a perfect beauty, smart, and seemed to be quite loving towards Harry. Ginny felt that she could not even begin to compete with someone like that. The last decent boy who had offered to be her boyfriend was Dean Thomas. He had tried to get her to go out with him for the second time this last year, but he was no longer an option as he was dead, or so she had heard he had been killed along with his Muggle family.

Trying to push things along, Ginny even went so far as to go into the bookstore when Harry was working. She would ask for a book to get him to help her, after which she would purchase it and then politely thank him, just like any customer would. She was very careful not to flirt with him. Her message was simple: Don't forget about your old friends. He was distantly polite, but never said an unnecessary word to her.

A week later, she and Remus were discussing what to do, which they did every day, when an owl flew in and landed on the table in front of them. Pulling the letter off, Ginny saw it was addressed to her, originating from Paris, and had come through international mail. That meant it had been Portkeyed to New York (post office to post office), and then flown from there.

Ginny assume it was an "I'm glad to hear from you" reply to her letter. She was wrong - dead wrong.

There were two sheets of parchment. The first sheet had a big picture of Harry on it. It was an old one from his fifth year with his scar very prominent and wearing glasses. Someone might recognize the new Harry from his picture, but she doubted most people would. The words on the paper under the picture were quite chilling:

_Wanted for crimes against society:  
Harry James Potter  
Turn in Harry Potter,  
dead or alive,  
to the Ministry of Magic  
for a 100,000 Galleon reward._

She wanted to retch upon reading that. She handed it to Remus as she read the second parchment, which was in her oldest brother's handwriting.

_Ginny,_

I'm extremely sorry to have to tell you this at all, much less in a letter. Dad and Mum were out last evening and were caught in a Death Eater attack. We don't believe they were the reason for the attack, but that they were merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. By the time help got to them, they were dead. As I'm not sure where you are, and you're best not telling any of us, I doubt you'll make it in time for the funeral, so don't try. We'll arrange a special time for you with them at their graves.

Tonks found the flyer that is included when she raided a Death Eater-run business. Perhaps it will help you in your task. I hope you succeed. We desperately need hope and a miracle, or else we all need to leave the country.

We all send our love,  
Bill

Ginny only realized that tears were running down her cheeks when she saw one drip onto the parchment. She handed the letter over to her friend and put her head on the table and cried. It was so unfair. She did not know how long she cried, nor did she feel the comforting hand rubbing her back. Ginny's world had just taken another severe blow.

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time Ginny was able to function anywhere half-way normal. She wanted to go straight into town and shove the letter in Harry's face, but Remus's cooler head prevailed. They waited until the next day for a visit.

Near mid-morning, Remus and a very sad Ginny went into town. Harry was not working at the bookstore. Trying the next best thing, they went to Rachel's shop. She was in.

"What do you want?" the blonde asked coolly. "Didn't Harry make himself clear when he asked to be left alone?"

Remus put a hand on Ginny's shoulder to prevent her from even starting. The girl was still very emotional. "Rachel, we really need to talk to Harry and I'm hoping you will help us."

"Why should I?"

He did not answer directly; instead, he handed over the flyer Tonks had found.

She quickly looked it over. "Where did you get this? Did you make it up just to provoke Harry into going with you?" she asked accusingly.

Moony could see that if she found that to be true, Rachel would be taking care of them before Harry even got there. She was acting like a mate, which caused the man to wonder about their relationship.

"It was found in England, though it may have gone out to other countries, I don't know. Perhaps this will help explain it more." He handed over the letter too. They both came to us yesterday."

The blonde read the letter. "And you're sure this is really his writing?"

"Yes! Damn it! It's my brother's writing telling me that my parents are dead!" Ginny yelled.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Rachel said gently.

"Sorry? What do you know about losing your parents?" Ginny continued to yell, tears starting to stream down her face.

Rachel did not flinch at all and calmly handed the letter and flyer back to Remus. "I lost my parents four years ago when they were trying to help rescue some people. They ran into a building to bring some injured people out and the building collapsed killing them instantly. It was a stupid accident and never should have happened. I was fifteen almost sixteen at the time and my older sister finished raising me. How did you think I owned a shop before I was twenty? I could only do that because of the insurance money, which I used to start supporting myself."

Ginny's head had started drooping at the first sentence of the explanation and her chin was on her chest by the end, her tears still going.

"It's all right, Ginny," Rachel was still calm. "I'm not mad at you. You couldn't have known about my loss and you're still coming to terms with your own loss. I know it's still too fresh for you. Harry will understand too, as I know he lost his parents, though it was early enough and he's had enough time to learn to deal with it. It will hurt for a long time, but you'll learn to live with it."

Ginny continued to cry and Rachel stepped forward and pulled the shorter girl into a hug. Ginny did not even think about what she was doing and wrapped her arms around the bigger girl and cried onto her shoulder.

"What time is it, Remus?" Rachel asked. "I can't see the clock from here."

Remus looked behind the shop owner. "It's almost eleven."

Rachel nodded and carefully extracted her wand while still keeping a hold on Ginny with one arm. With a look of concentration, she did a spell, whispering the incantation. "Harry will be here shortly."

A couple of minutes later, Harry came through the door and froze. "What are you two doing here?" The look on his face was not overly charitable, although his expression changed to confusion as he saw his girlfriend comforting Ginny with a hug.

Rachel nodded to Remus, who handed the two pieces of parchment over to Harry.

Harry raised an eyebrow at the wanted poster, then he read the letter. After he had finished reading them, he handed the papers back. "I'm really sorry, Ginny. You have my sympathy." When she did not respond, Harry softly said, "Well, if you'll excuse me, I really need to eat lunch before I go to work this afternoon."

Ginny pulled away from Rachel and gave him her meanest glare, one that would have had her brothers running. Harry just stood there and looked at her slowly blinking. She could not believe he was not showing any emotion. She went for her wand, but it was pulled out of her grasp by Remus. She flicked a glare at her traveling companion for that, but refocused her anger on Harry.

"What? That's all you got to say? You're sorry, I have your sympathy, and oops it's time for lunch? My parents are dead, England had gone to hell in a handbasket, and they have a reward out for you that's so large that almost anyone will turn you in to Voldemort, who now runs the Ministry. And all you have to say is 'I really need to eat lunch'? Are you sure you haven't lost your soul too?"

Harry sighed. "Ginny, I know you're upset and don't mean everything you're saying..."

"The bloody hell I do! I mean every word of it and more!"

"No, I don't think so. First, there's nothing I can do from here. Second, I'm quite safe here. And third, I've dealt myself out of the war," he explained logically.

"Don't be a git! The war will come to you. Maybe not tomorrow or next week, but it will come to you. And how many people will die while you lay on the beach with your girlfriend? All those deaths are your fault because you're too lazy and too chicken to come save your friends and adopted family like the prophecy says. We put our lives on the line while you and your girlfriend enjoy the easy life to avoid chipping a fingernail." Ginny was now red in the face from anger as well as crying.

Her verbal attack incensed Harry and now he was angry and a visible aura started to surround him, with a few light purplish-white sparks coming off of him. "I told you to LEAVE ME ALONE! You can not run my life and you can not run Rachel's life. I love her and will protect her above everything else. But even so, if I didn't care about you too, I'd let you duel her so she could show you how pathetic your accusation is. Chip a nail - indeed!"

Ginny should have backed down, she knew it; but she had come this far and she was not going to back down now. Her Weasley pride would not let her. "Fine! I accept. I promise you I won't hurt her, but I'm not a toy Harry. I'm a force to be reckoned with."

Harry lost his aura as he laughed. That incensed Ginny further, but before she could retort, Harry looked over at Rachel. "So, want to have some fun with her?"

Rachel smirked. "You know, I really should be mad at you right now, Ginny, but I'm going to chalk it all up to your grief."

"So, you are afraid to fight me..."

Remus could not believe this whole argument and everyone's attitude. Why did it always have to come down to a macho display of power, even if they were girls?

Rachel turned her smile to Harry. "Want to help me change, love? I can't do anything in this outfit."

"I'd love to undress you," Harry told her as he pulled out his wand.

It was obvious Harry was doing this just to tweak Ginny. With a few waves of his wand, Harry transformed Rachel's skirt into shorts and her blouse into a t-shirt and her dress shoes in to trainers. "Better?" His girlfriend nodded. "OK, meet you at the clearing; do bring Remus after you lock up the shop." Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and before she knew what was happening, he had Apparated her to a clearing in the middle of nowhere.

As Ginny was about to ask what was going on, Rachel and Remus Apparate in too.

Harry pulled Remus to the side as he told the girls, "Get ready to duel. Rules are: no Unforgivables, no Reductos or Severing hexes on the other person, and no other spells that cause damage that is not easily repairable or has long lasting effects. The loser is the one who is either unconscious or yields. Ready, set, go!"

Harry and Moony watched Ginny fire a Stunner while Rachel fired an Incarcerous and ducked. Ginny managed to avoid a direct hit from the ropes so she was not completely tied up, but the ropes did wrap around her legs a couple of times and caused her to fall down and into the path of a Stunning spell from Rachel while Ginny had not been firing back. The redhead lay unconscious less than five seconds after the contest had begun.

Remus raised an eyebrow at Harry. The Boy-Who-Lived answered the obvious question. "In addition to being Head Girl, she was also the school dueling champ. I've been the only person her age to ever beat her, and she can give me a very good run for my money."

"You set Ginny up didn't you?"

Harry grinned. "I thought she was being too uppity and this would prove my point we're not in trouble here."

Rachel blew Harry a kiss and revived Ginny. Looking down at the girl on the ground, Rachel offered, "Best two out of three?"

"Yes," Ginny quickly accepted, sure that had been a fluke.

Harry began them again and this time the duel lasted twenty seconds, until Rachel sent a Reducto into the sand in front of Ginny, blowing up sand in Ginny's eyes and throwing her off balance from the blast. While Ginny was falling through the air, Rachel hit the girl with a Stunning spell. Ginny fell limply into the soft sand.

With a smile, Rachel revived Ginny again. "Just to be sporting, one last chance, Ginny? Unless you're ready to give up," she said sweetly. Rachel thought maybe this would help Ginny get some of the grief stress out of her system.

Ginny spat sand out of her mouth. "One more," she said determinedly.

Harry shook his head. "With a stubborn streak like that, it's a wonder there are any Weasleys left at all. Just like her brother, she is." Ginny glared at him, so he shouted, "Go!"

Ginny was ready, however, and sent a mild Cutting curse at Rachel's face. Rachel did a Summoning with "_Accio Ginny!_" before she ducked the Cutting curse. Ginny valiantly tried a Stunning spell as she flew through the air, but it went wide of the intended mark. Rachel grabbed Ginny as the girl landed and flipped her over onto the sand and brought her fist down hard and fast, stopping it suddenly an inch from Ginny's face. "Yield?" Ginny relaxed every muscle and nodded.

Rachel told her, "You see? I'm not just a pretty face. Do you really think so little of Harry that you thought he would seek a girlfriend who was a brainless bimbo?" Rachel rose from her kneeling position.

Ginny started to cry. "I just wanted to save my family and friends, and I wanted my lost friend to come home." She took a deep breath then jumped to her feet. Before anyone could say anything to her, she Apparated away.

Remus looked at Harry. "We're still camping near town. I guess we'll be going home in a couple of days when I'm sure she's capable of taking care of herself instead of being a hosepipe. I hope you change your mind and come home with us. If you want to talk, I'm sure an owl can quickly find us." Remus squeezed Harry on the shoulder, as a father would, before he too Apparated away.

Rachel walked over to Harry and put her arms around him. "Have I told you how wonderful you are lately?" She gave him a big kiss.

"No, but I think I should be the one telling you that after how well you just did."

She smiled at him and kissed the end of his nose. "I was just helping her work out some stress; I didn't take anything she said personally. She seemed like a nice enough person before this, and she's probably a pretty good fighter when she's not a basket case."

Harry nodded. "She is, or rather she was, at the top of her class. As you can tell, she can also be passionate about what she believes in, as well as stubborn and saying exactly what she thinks, regardless of the consequences."

"You still like her, don't you?"

"I still like her because she's my friend; but I love you because you're the one for me." Harry leaned into Rachel to show her just what she meant to him. He used his lips, tongue, and hands.

When they broke apart, Rachel moaned. "Oh god, you're good. I've got to get back to the store since Pat's not there, but why don't you come over to my house for late dinner tonight?"

"Deal!" he told her. They both left. He was a half hour late to work, but since he did not do that often, Mark let him get away with it. Harry spent the rest of the afternoon and evening thinking about dinner and afterwards.

* * *

They sat on the beach under the half moon and talked, each with a beer in hand. After a lull in the conversation, Rachel asked a question that had been on her mind all afternoon. A question she had first briefly wondered about when he told her who he really was and where he had come from nine months ago. "Harry? Do you want to go back or are you planning on staying here?"

Harry finished off his beer and put the empty can down. He did not drink very much, but a cold beer from time to time was nice, especially when he could get a good European beer. He paused a little more before he finally admitted his thoughts. "A small part of me wants to go back. One of my friends there always said I had a 'saving people thing' and that seems to be trying to exert itself now that that whole situation is not so painful. It's hard to ignore my friends when the trouble seems so much worse. However, I really do not want to leave you, Rachel. We have a nice life here and I like it."

"I love you being here with me Harry, but do you really have a nice life? You work in a bookstore barely making ends meet. Sure you don't have much stress, but is this what you want to do for the rest of your life? When you first met me, you said you were trying to find yourself. What have you found?"

"Ever since I was eleven and found out I was famous, all I've ever wanted is to be normal. So tell me, what do you want to do with your life, Rachel?"

"You're avoiding my question, Harry."

"No, I want to know what you're doing as I'd like to do that with you. Running a clothing shop is overly easy for you too. You're so smart; you could do so much more."

"True in a sense, Harry, but I think I'd like to expand my shop to be a nationwide chain, that won't be easy."

"Need a good vice president?" he said half-joking.

"What? Are you offering, Harry?" she teased him back.

"I love you, Rachel," he told her suddenly very serious. "I don't know if I'm ready for a life commitment yet. I mean, I'm only eighteen and I know you're only nineteen, but the thought is starting to sound appealing. Is that a question you're comfortable with me thinking about and trying to come to terms with?"

She smiled. "I love you too, Harry. I wish you'd have told me a little more about your background so I wasn't so surprised when it came looking for you, but in the end, it's not that big a deal." She looked at the ocean for a minute or two and neither said anything. She finally looked back at him. "Yes, Harry. I think that's a question we should explore in the future. Want to spend the night with me?"

"Thanks, but I think I want to go home to think."

"We don't have to do anything, not even kiss if you don't want to. Just sleep with me and hold me. You can think while you do that, can't you?" she teased.

He put his arm around her and pulled her close for a few seconds. "Easily. You're wish is my command, Fair Maiden."

Rachel giggled. "Harry, if you want to go back to England, I'll come with you and watch your back. I can find someone else to help and leave Pat in charge of watching the store."

"Thanks Rachel, I'll think about that too." He gave her a kiss and then stood and helped her up. Holding her tightly, he Side-Along-Apparated her to his little house not too far from the wizarding village.

"Hey, I said my house," she good-naturedly complained.

"It really doesn't matter," he told her as he led her into the bedroom. Since it was a Muggle house, he put on a CD on the little stereo before they went to bed. As Harry lay thinking with Rachel curled around him, he thought, 'Damn them all!' His most faithful friend hooted at him from the other room as the CD finished. Two hours later he fell asleep not at all pleased with where his thoughts had taken him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 - All Within My Hands**

Harry woke the next morning to find only himself in his bed. Rachel must not have left too long before as he could still smell her perfume on his pillow. He got up and got dressed so he could start his day.

While breakfast was cooking, he scribbled a note for an evening meeting and walked over to Hedwig. He kept her happy by sending love notes to Rachel as well as the occasional catalog order to Miami. "Here girl. Take this to Remus Lupin. He's staying in a tent near town, or so he tells me." The owl affectionately nipped his finger before she took off. Remus must not have been far away because she returned before Harry left for work.

Deciding it was easiest, he wrote a note to Rachel to tell her he wouldn't see her until late tonight; then he sent Hedwig off with that note. Hurrying so he would not be late for work again, he Apparated into town.

At the end of his work day, his two friends showed up with food in hand. Smiling at their thoughtfulness, he Apparated each of them to the beach where he and Rachel usually went. It was far enough from the city that it was deserted. As they sat to eat, Ginny was the first to speak.

"Harry, I want to apologise for my behavior yesterday. I said some mean things about you and Rachel that I didn't really mean. I was really hurting. That doesn't excuse it, but I wanted you to know why it happened and that I won't do it again. I'll tell Rachel before we leave."

"Thanks, Ginny. I do forgive you because I understand. Rachel has already forgiven you too, because she understands. But I would appreciate it if you would tell her anyway."

"Of course, Harry. I'll do it." She was so embarrassed at her behavior, she was barely able to meet his gaze.

Harry nodded and then a big smile came over Harry's face as he grabbed some grapes to pop into his mouth. "When I first met Rachel, it was completely crazy; I mean over the top crazy. I somehow managed to blurt out the question to ask her on a date and she accepted. I think she only did it because she was bored and hadn't met any decent guys at the time."

He chuckled to himself. "Towards the end of our date, we got into a disagreement about which methods of training for Defense were better and so we decided to settle it the old fashioned way. That's how I found out about that clearing; she took me there."

Remus was smiling, he could guess how this was going to go.

Ginny was smiling too, despite the fact that she did not want to. A part of her still wanted Harry; a part she worked at suppressing, for both her and his sake.

"I've never met anyone else who could fight like her. Her style gave me fits the first few times, but I actually beat her in three of our five fights. She was also impressed with me because she'd never had anyone stand up to her and beat her. Of course, she also beat me in three of our five fights." He paused and popped a few grapes in, enjoying their juiciness.

"Uh, Harry?" Ginny had confusion written all over her face. "I know I'm not the genius at math like Hermione is, but even I can spot the trouble with both of you winning three out of five."

He grinned at his friends as he delivered the punch line. "On the last fight, we both stunned each other at the same time."

Remus snorted and then started laughing; Ginny chuckled at that too.

"So by saying that we both won, it helps both of our egos," Harry pointed out.

"And you've been a couple ever since?" Remus asked.

"Yes. She's really amazing and she's been very good for me. She's helped me find the real me; I owe her a lot." They all were silent for a few moments after that, eating and enjoying the setting.

Harry grabbed some more grapes, continuing to lightly snack. "So, tell me the details of life in England. What do you know about Voldemort? How is the Muggle world there reacting? And do you know if any outside from any other countries is coming in?"

Remus and Ginny looked at each other, and she nodded to him.

"It's like this, Harry." Remus was going to try to remain factual and yet tell the young man exactly what it was like, now that he seemed ready to listen. "Life has been going downhill in England pretty rapidly over the last nine months or so. Voldemort has gained so much power, he has openly taken over the ministry. He's not totally stupid, in that he lets most normal business handle itself, as he needs society to basically function; but if it's important, he controls it -- the exception being Gringotts, and I wonder if the Goblins might be close to closing the bank in London. As he seems to have taken over England, he's started branching out to other European countries. Ireland and France are under attack the most. The real Aurors have been disbanded and are either fired or have been killed. Scrimgeour disappeared about five months ago when Voldemort took over."

"Sounds bleak at the ministry," Harry commented dispassionately. He missed Ginny's glare, fortunately for them both.

"Personally, the Burrow was attacked and destroyed a little more than six months ago by a huge group of Death Eaters. No one died as Molly was the only one there and lucky used an emergency Portkey to leave, but the house and everything in it is gone. So the Weasleys moved to Headquarters, which I now own through Sirius's inheritance. He also left me some money, which is all that keeps everyone there afloat. Arthur obviously had lost his job at the ministry and was lucky to be alive for a while. He also did odd jobs that were beneath the Death Eater's notice to make some money. Most of the Order has had to do that. No one goes out of the house without multiple glamours on. Without exception, we all know friends who have been killed. Since then, as you know, Arthur and Molly are now dead, as is Percy. He got caught at the Ministry when it was under siege."

Harry acknowledged that. "What about the school?"

"Hogwarts was the last bastion of hope. As they finished the school year a few months ago, Voldemort issued an ultimatum that McGonagall close the school or be attacked. To spare lives, she closed the school after exams finished and sent all the students home via Floo, as she was afraid the train wasn't safe. Less than an hour after the students were gone, over a hundred Death Eaters arrived at the school and killed every teacher there. The only remaining staff members are Madam Pince, because she had left with the students; Firenze, who returned to the forest the evening before; and Hagrid survived because he had left earlier in the year to help Madame Maxime. Beauxbatons Academy has been threatened, too. It's probably only a matter of time before there are enough Death Eaters in France to carry out the threat."

"I see. And the Muggle world?" Harry asked.

Remus explained about that, too. "There's death and destruction there too as Voldemort and his Death Eaters are basically everywhere. The Malfoys run a number of important public works. 'Terrorism' is so bad in England, the Muggle United Nations is considering sending in troops, and the secrecy barrier between the Wizarding and Muggle worlds is almost non-existent now. The separation probably will not last unless something is done soon. Given all that, I'm unaware of any outside Wizarding help; the other European nations are hoping the problem will stay on the British Isles. I can sum it up by saying that life is very bleak in England. As Bill said, we need a miracle soon, or we all, Wizards and Muggles, might as well leave and cede England over to Voldemort."

Harry took on a contemplative look and watched the waves for a few minutes. "Will you stay a few extra days?"

Ginny started to speak up, but Remus stopped her with a shake of his head, which Harry didn't catch because he was still looking at the ocean. "Yes, we'll wait, Harry," the werewolf agreed. He did not want to; he wanted to get back as soon as possible. But if a few more days would allow him to bring Harry back instead of going empty handed, it was a price he would pay.

Abruptly, Harry stood. "I'll get back with you shortly; I have dinner with Rachel soon." He Apparated away before they could say anything else.

Ginny looked at Remus. "Do you think Harry is really thinking about coming home with us?"

Remus slowly answered, "Yes. And I also think that saying nothing to Harry is the best thing to do at this time. We need to let the facts speak for themselves and then let Harry's heart make the decision."

"What to do we do if Harry says no?" she asked with worry in her voice.

Lupin looked at her thoughtfully. After a few seconds, he honestly told her, "Perhaps moving here might not be a bad idea."

Ginny wondered if she could convince her family of that, and what Harry would say if what was left of the Weasley clan showed up. She also wondered what they would want to do to him if they came here and found out he did not want to return to help them out. Life just sucked sometimes.

* * *

Ginny was on pins and needles while she waited. Remus was not much better and was grouchy. It did not help that the full moon was coming up in five days and he wasn't sure what he was going to do if they were still here at that time.

On the morning of the second day after their detailed discussion, Harry and Rachel walked into the tent unannounced. "Hello?" he called out.

"Bloody hell!" Ginny shouted as she drew her wand and barely held a spell back.

Remus was so shocked his wand was still in his pocket. He finally mumbled, "How did you find us? The tent should be Unplottable."

Harry laughed. "Please, do give us some credit. I'll give you the credit that it took us nearly two hours to find you though, so the average person would not have bothered you."

"So, do you have good news for us?" Ginny asked hopefully.

Harry conjured two more chairs and held a chair for his girlfriend before he too sat at the table. "Don't be too hopeful just yet. You have some hard promises to make before I make my final decision. First, do you feel it's hopeless if I don't come back?"

"Yes," Remus answered without hesitation. "I think most of Wizarding Europe has already written off England and hopes to contain the problem there. The problem is the English Channel is easy to Apparate across, or even sail your own boat across. As I said the other day, Beauxbatons is starting to come under pressure too."

"Yeah," Ginny added. "Care of Magical Creatures was completely theoretical last term because Hagrid left to go help defend Madame Maxime and her school. We could no longer hold classes outside."

"All right, is it completely lawless, sort of every man for himself?" Harry asked.

Remus nodded. "Pretty much; any Aurors left at the Ministry are loyal to Voldemort, and the true Aurors are in the underground movement fighting him. Society started breaking down when Voldemort took over the Ministry and it has continued to deteriorate." 

"So I could do whatever I want to stop Voldemort and there's no one to say otherwise?" Harry asked a little more intensely.

Remus felt nervous about that statement. "I suppose, but don't be too radical or people will care and vilify you when you win."

"As if I care," Harry snorted. "Does anyone know where Voldemort usually is? Or does he hide and move around a lot?"

"We don't normally know until after the fact," Remus said, "but there is rumor he spends a lot of time at the ministry."

Harry stared straight into Remus's eyes, not letting him look away. "If you went home right know, how long would it take you to contact the majority of the resistance to get them to go to a spot to fight? And take secrecy into account; it would be paramount everyone be completely loyal, no spies allowed; or if you're unsure, everyone would need to take an Unbreakable Oath so they die if they try to tip someone off we're about to attack?"

Remus gulped. "I don't know, maybe a day?"

"Not good enough," Harry verbally pounced on him. "Not good enough at all. What can you do in two hours?"

"Two hours?" Remus asked incredulously. Harry's serious look made him seriously consider the question. "Maybe a hundred people, but probably less."

Harry thought about it all for a few moments before he turned to Rachel. "How long do you need to set things in order to leave for a couple of months?"

Ginny started to get her hopes up.

"I could probably leave tomorrow morning, though the day after would be better," Rachel replied. "I'll get my sister, Pamela, to come help out. I can probably convince her to take a semester off from college, but it will cost us."

"OK, I can handle that, and assuming we win, then England can repay me," Harry said matter-of-factly. "Remus, Ginny, here's the offer. Rachel and I will go back with you after we make a brief stop to get some help. Once I've secured the help, you'll go back and take about two hours to round up as many totally loyal people as possible, telling them the location only just before you all leave. We and the help will come over and meet you at a place then start the attack. Once we do that, it will be all-out war until only one of us is standing. As far as I'm concerned, this is World War Three and anything I say goes -- no objections. I'm invoking martial law and I'm in charge. Assuming we win, I will clean out the ministry, then when a functional, and hopefully non-corrupt, ministry is in place, Rachel and I are gone never to be bothered again. That's the deal, take it or leave it."

Ginny nodded. "Works for me." That would accomplish her main objective in coming to find Harry. Her "fringe benefit" would just have to go unfulfilled, she thought sadly.

Remus did not look so agreeing. "I'm all right with that except for the 'do anything you want, no objections' part. That gives you too much latitude. That lets you do anything, including telling the Muggles about our world and I'm uncomfortable with that."

"I understand," Harry said, "but perhaps that will be required and you said yourself they're close to finding out anyway. I don't plan to tell them, but if that's required, I'll do it. At this point in time, I plan to kill as many Death Eaters as possible, and when I draw Voldemort out, I'll kill him if at all possible. My point is that I will not be held accountable for anything that I have to do to accomplish that. So, while I know you aren't the government, you are the one to decide if this price is acceptable, because once I start, there will be no stopping me from completely cleaning up this mess for now and for the rest of my lifetime, at least if I can help it."

After a little more thought, Remus said, "Fine, I agree, except for the fact that the full moon is in three days."

"Right. That just means we have to hurry, or you'll be taking a short break." Harry said and turned into the commander for the war. "Rachel? Go get your sister. Agree to whatever you have to so she comes today, pack clothes and whatever else you want for battle and then go over to my house for the night." She nodded and left. "Remus, Ginny, do your best to rest for the day. Pack and be ready at eight in the morning." He picked up a spoon and cast "_Portus!_" on it. "Here, this will bring you to me at eight; both of you be holding onto it then. Rachel and I will be ready to go at that time. We're going to go in and hit them hard and we're not going to stop hitting until either Voldemort or myself is dead. And as far as I'm concerned, it will be him as I have someone to spend a lifetime with; he doesn't."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Harry," Remus told him.

Harry shrugged. "I only have the vaguest of ideas, but it's enough for now. I'll see you tomorrow morning, good night." He left them to rest.

As it neared ten that evening, Harry had already finished packing when Rachel joined him at his house with a backpack slung over one shoulder and dressed in sturdy clothes. "My sis is staying in my house. I've left her a couple thousand dollars to hold her until we get back, but you're going to need to get her about ten thousand more to make up for things she's missing or has to redo for college."

"No problem," he told her. "Drop your stuff wherever and come to bed with me. We need to get as much rest as we can. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"Maybe a few relaxation techniques beforehand would help?" she smirked.

"You're such a witch," he teased her as he stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed. He set his alarm for seven while she undressed. It was another half hour before they even tried to sleep. Harry had to admit that he was more relaxed now as his mind was on cuddling with her and not the upcoming battle.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - Fight Fire With Fire**

At eight o'clock, Remus and Ginny appeared in Harry's living room, courtesy of the Portkey. Each had a backpack on. Harry and Rachel were ready except for one task.

Harry went over to Hedwig and tied a short note onto her leg as he told her, "Go to Rachel's house, Hedwig. You'll find Pamela there. Stay with her until I come back and get you." He gave her an owl treat and lovingly stroked her head as she ate it. With care, he helped to launch her out the window before he closed and locked it.

Taking a deep breath, Harry put that behind him and became all business, and the business was war.

In a move that amused Remus, Harry pulled out his travel guide, the same edition Remus had bought in Washington weeks ago, and started flipping pages. "OK, everyone take a good look at Savannah and go there when you're ready, I'll be last." Three more Apparation hops and they were at the US Ministry of Magic in Philadelphia. With confidence, Harry strode into the building.

At the information desk, Harry looked at the young wizard who manned it and said, "I need to speak to the Head of the MLE. I need to borrow some Aurors to go straighten out England."

It was all his friends to could do to hold their laughter in. It was classic Harry: blunt, assuming, and completely over the top. The young wizard just gaped at him. "Well?" Harry prompted him.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you can't do that."

"Sure I can; I'm Harry Potter. But if you think I can't, why don't you send me to someone of authority who can officially tell me that." Harry was as completely polite as he was completely serious.

"Just a minute, I'll get Assistant Secretary Blackwood to help you." The young wizard grabbed a red shell and started speaking into it.

Harry turned around and smiled at his friends. "Just follow my lead."

"Anywhere," Rachel said sweetly and kissed his cheek.

Ginny did not mind seeing that for some reason now. After she had apologized to Rachel, the two girls had had a long talk and had become friends. A lot of the discussion had been about Harry; there had been lots of comparing stories and giggling.

Three people and thirty minutes later, Harry was talking to the Head of the MLE.

"Mr. Potter, I'm Rick Dodgers, Head of the MLE. I understand from my colleagues that you want to borrow some of our people to "fix England". I hope you'll pardon me for asking this, despite the fact that your reputation does precede you, but why?"

Harry wondered what the man had heard, but he ignored it and launched into the story Remus had shared with him two days ago, with Remus adding details. He also made Remus produce the flyer of Harry's wanted poster to show that the Ministry was completely controlled by Voldemort. Then he laid out his plan and ended with a plea.

"Mr. Dodgers, a few hundred years ago, your ancestors showed the British that tyranny was not an acceptable lifestyle. I'm officially requesting your help to again show the British this same lesson, but to the British Wizarding world. I will clean up the mess and start it all over, much like your ancestors did here. I also want to do this quickly to prevent the Muggle world from finding out about us, lest they create a real witch hunt -- a witch hunt that would be global." Harry serenely looked at the American and waited.

Dodgers thought about it for a moment. Turning to an assistant, he held out his hand and a folder was given to him. Opening it up, he pulled out a photo and handed it to Harry. "Do you know who these people are?"

Harry looked at the photo and shrugged. "Not personally, but based on their dress, I'd say they are Death Eaters and are an example of those I would be fighting in London. Why?"

"Five of these Death Eaters arrived in a small Wizarding town in Massachusetts last night. Two people were killed before it was known what was happening. Fortunately, we're a bit more, ah, forward, over here and moments later, all five of them were killed." Dodgers pulled a piece of parchment out of the folder. "We also found this on the one we think was the leader."

It was Harry's wanted poster. "So they're starting to search for me over here?"

"That would be my guess." Dodgers looked at Harry for a few seconds as if he were searching for something. "Very well, Mr. Potter. Our Minister has authorized me to help you, if you could convince me, and I'm afraid to say you have. Do you think fifty Aurors will be enough?"

"For my plans, yes. If this doesn't work and it becomes a full scale war instead of a lightning strike, we'll need more people, and probably from more countries. Could you arrange that?" Part of Harry could not believe he was doing this and dealing with governments at this level, but this is what he had to do.

"Yes, we'll spearhead that if need be. Andrew Stockton will be our commander in charge. I'll introduce you to him, and then it will all be up to you two to work out the details. One last point of discussion, payment for these services."

Harry nodded, he had expected this.

"How about something easy, like a copy of some much sought after works in your Hogwarts library?"

Harry laughed. "That has got to be one of the oddest things you could have asked for. I was expecting to be asked for a mountain of gold."

Dodgers chuckled. "Gold is easy to come by, knowledge is not."

"Mr. Dodger, I'll gladly get access to Hogwarts for some of your scholars. In fact, if they have a way to create a card catalog system with a summary of each book, I'll let them make a complete copy of the library." Harry heard Remus and Ginny gasp behind him.

The Head of the MLE smiled. "I have no idea if such spells exists, but if not, we'll invent them. That is a deal we can't pass up. Perhaps we can exchange other information too. We have some more modern works that your population might like to see."

"I'm sure we can work something out," Harry agreed.

Dodgers was all smiles. "It was nice to meet you Mr. Potter. I hope we can talk after all this is over. Personally, I want to thank you for doing this work on behalf of the world. It's obvious this madman will spread if he's not checked soon." Another man entered the room. The Head of the MLE turned and smiled when he saw the well-built man in his late forties. "Ah, right on time as always. Andrew Stockton meet Harry Potter. Gentlemen, I leave the conquest of England up to you two." He left the room with a smile.

"Don't mind him," Stockton said, "he's always had a warped since of humor. It's nice to meet you, Potter. So, what are we up against and what do you want to do?"

Harry went through it all again for Stockton, who asked a few clarifying questions along the way.

As they started planning, Harry explained his thoughts. "There are two main targets we need to hit. I believe Voldemort will be in one of them. My thought is to hit each of them hard with as many people as we can. By keeping everything as simple as possible, I believe we'll have a much better chance of success."

Stockton smiled. "I've always been a believer of K.I.S.S. myself." At Harry's quizzical look, the American explained, "It stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. Now let's discuss these targets..."

At the end, Stockton looked at his watch and saw it was almost eleven. "At plus five hours, that makes it four o'clock over there, so most people are probably about to leave for the day. Plus, I really need a couple of hours to get all my people together, so we won't be able to catch everyone in the office. I'd suggest you stay the night here. Your friend Remus can leave at two tomorrow morning to round up some friends for you over there; that will give him three hours. The rest of us can leave at five and catch them in the middle of the morning. That will also give me a little bit of time to put some nice things together for you. What do you think?"

Everyone could see Harry running that through his mind. After a moment, he smiled. "If you think we can contain my presence here for that long, I'm fine with it. But if there are spies here and word gets out that I'm here asking for help, it could go badly for us."

"Good point," Stockton agreed. "We have random security checks for spies, and I think it's time for another right now. I'll make people stay here overnight if need be. Why don't you stay here too? We have some nice hotel-like rooms for VIP guests. Get some rest and be ready for a knock on your door an hour before you leave for breakfast."

"Sounds good," Harry agreed. "We'll take three rooms."

* * *

Three thirty in the morning came early. Harry did not want to get up. Some of the reason was the hour, even if he had gone to bed at seven last night. Most of the reason he did not want to get up revolved around the warm body sprawled over him. "Rachel..." he softly called.

Her head snapped up looking for danger. She had been a light sleeper since the death of her parents. Seeing nothing wrong, she looked down at Harry. "Hi." She kissed him before getting up.

Harry wanted to just lie there and watch her, she was so beautiful, but he had to get ready too. Someone would be coming for them shortly. But when this was over, he would make her his. He had decided that the other night as well.

When they were both ready, Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. She smiled at him. "Harry, we don't have time for fun now," she teased him.

He laughed at her joke. "Too bad." He then turned serious. "I know I can't make you stay behind, so I want you to be as safe as possible."

"I will," she simply said.

"Be safe because I have plans for your next hundred years or so. Plans we can talk about tomorrow after we fix England."

Her smile and the fire in her eyes engulfed him, as did her kisses and arms. When they breathlessly parted, Rachel purred, "I look forward to that discussion, which means you better keep yourself safe too."

He returned a kiss as a knock sounded on the door. Regretfully, they parted and went to start what was to be a very long day.

They were shown into a small dining room that had a variety of foods. Remus and Ginny were the only other ones there, so it was just the four friends who had breakfast together.

After they had all served themselves and started eating, Rachel looked at Harry.

"Harry? I know you told me you left England because you weren't happy and needed to find yourself, but what was the final reason that made you leave? I know it had something to do with Ginny, and I wanted to ask with her here so she wouldn't think I was talking badly about her behind her back."

"I'd love to know too," Remus said.

Ginny hung her head. "Right, let's make this 'pick on Ginny day', why don't we?"

Harry chuckled. "OK," he teased. Ginny stuck her tongue at him. "Actually, we can have a quiz about this; don't say anything Ginny." The redhead rolled her eyes.

"So," Harry started, "we had been dating and it was going great until Dumbledore's death and I realized I was going to have to go do some very dangerous stuff. Stuff so dangerous, I did not want my very favorite person to get hurt, even by association with me. So I broke up with her to protect her. I now recognize that was stupid, but I thought I had a good reason."

"Yeah, monumentally stupid," Ginny said, and was pleased when she saw Rachel nod her head in agreement.

"When I next saw her a month later," Harry went on, "we got into a fight about it all. I tried to apologize and re-explain it was for her protection. I thought I was very clear about it all when I said: _I care for you and don't want anything to happen to you._"

"Sounds clear to me," Remus contributed and Harry smiled at him.

"Well, Ginny then told me," they all heard her groan before Harry said, "_Well, maybe I don't care for you anymore, because if you can hurt me once like this, who's to say you won't do it again. Maybe you're right and it's best that we're not together!_" Harry paused before he asked, "Now, given that, what was I to think? Remus, you're a guy, what do you think she meant by that?"

"Ooh, uh," Remus looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry Ginny, but I'd have to say that you were telling him you wanted to break up with him and didn't want to see him anymore."

Harry smirked. "Rachel?"

"I heard several maybe's in there, but the overriding message was I've been hurt and I don't want that again -- sorry Ginny. Of course, most of me does appreciate your mistake."

Ginny hid her face. "I was sixteen and stupid, all right? I'll admit it. Harry, the plan was to tell you that you hurt me and let you think about that; then the next day I was going to talk to you about how much I cared for you and how to work things out. I guess I did part one too well."

"Interesting to know, though it can't be changed now," Harry said. He finished off his coffee and told them, "Hurry up and finish, we've got to go shortly."

* * *

At five minutes before five, fifty-four people lined up and grabbed onto a rope that was being stretched out. Harry looked over the fifty Americans that were about to help him and saw people who were grim and serious. Each had full backpack of gear strapped on and a wand in their free hand. Harry hoped Remus had been successful in his recruiting.

As the clocked changed to five o'clock straight up, Stockton activated the International Portkey and everyone was pulled through space, landing in a field just outside of a graveyard.

Looking around, Harry saw people starting to come out from behind gravestones. The first ones he saw were Remus, Ron, and Hermione. He smiled. "Is everyone in place, Remus?"

"Yes. I was able to only get about eighty people this fast, but every one of them is completely trustworthy."

"Good, give the signal; we begin in one minute." People started Apparating away to positions around the lonely looking house on the hill. Harry looked at his two old friends who seemed to be restraining themselves from running to him, and he stepped forward to gave each a fast hug. "It's good to see you again. We'll talk later," he told them so they did not start their million questions now. Fortunately, they understood.

As the minute ended, Harry could feel the large Anti-Apparation wards going up. He assumed the Anti-Portkey wards were up too. There was even a spell to shut down the Floo network here. Harry had no idea if Voldemort would be here, but he wanted to find out. The other target was Nagini.

A few seconds later, he saw a number of the American Aurors put little cone shaped objects on the ends of their wands and then they did a spell. The objects were propelled toward the house and there were four to a side with flames streaking behind them. The sixteen objects hit the house and a fireball erupted lighting the sky. As one, everyone started running towards the burning house. No order of conduct was needed; everyone knew this was war and a fight to the death.

People in Death Eater garb came streaming out of the burning house, only to be cut down. It was a slaughter, as they were not used to organized resistance. Fifteen minutes later, there were no more Death Eaters coming out. The house had mostly collapsed and was burning fiercely. Injuries for the good guys were being healed, and miraculously Harry thought, no deaths on his side. With a dozen people stationed around the house to make sure no other Death Eater escaped, everyone else split into groups for the next phase.

There would be three waves to the assault, due to the number of people involved. For each wave, a number of people would Apparate into the Atrium of the Ministry, while the rest of the wave Flooed in. Each wave would move and get out of the way, so the next wave would start until all one hundred and twenty or so of them were in the Ministry.

Harry shouted, "Wave one going in sixty seconds!" All of Remus's volunteers Apparated away to various places they could Floo from. The remaining people waited with Apparation coordinates in their minds.

"That was almost too easy," Ron commented.

Harry smiled. "We can only hope it's all that easy." He checked his watch, they had about forty seconds. Looking to his old friends, he said, "Ron, Hermione? This is Rachel, my girlfriend." They all said hello to one another. "Rachel and Ginny? You're with me. Ron, Hermione? Stay close and guard our backs." Then Harry grabbed Rachel so she would go with him and shouted, "Wave one, going in five, four, three, two, one..."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 - And Justice For All**

The atrium of the Ministry was suddenly full of people, and that did not count the all the fireplaces that were belching out people.

Harry went forward stunning everyone he saw, no exceptions. Even if they were normal people here on normal business, that could be sorted out later. Those that fired offensive spells at him, he also bound. Anyone stupid enough to cast a Killing Curse at him or one of his friends, he killed them with a Reducto to the head.

One of the first to try to kill him had been Draco Malfoy. Being particularly angry at his enemy, Harry severed Draco's wand arm, cast a sticking charm on him, and then he banished Draco to the fountain. The young Malfoy stuck to the bottom of the pool which had a foot of water in it. Right behind him came Severus Snape. Harry ducked a Cruciatus Curse and sent an unexpected transformation spell, which hit his old Potions professor in the stomach. The man's body was transformed into wood and he fell over, dead less than a minute later.

Harry noticed that Ron and Hermione were behind him defending him from Death Eaters trying to enter from a side hallway, when Voldemort came out of the elevator. Harry wasted no time and started casting spells. Unfortunately, Voldemort was ready and picked up the fight.

Also out of the elevator came Lucius Malfoy, Wormtail, and Bellatrix Lastrange. "The blond one is mine," Ginny told her partner.

"Right, I've got the funny looking one and the bitch," Rachel replied as she cast her first spell.

This was not what Harry wanted; he had wanted it to be three on one and to beat Voldemort with overwhelming firepower. Not too long into the fight, Harry noticed Ginny making a gutsy dive that allowed her to go under a spell and send a blast through Lucius, from which he would never recover. Unfortunately, she had also received part of a spell meant for Harry and was sent hurling into the wall. She did not get up.

Harry noticed a particularly evil glint in Voldemort's face and knew what was coming next. Seeing Wormtail nearby, Harry took a chance and cast, "_Accio Wormtail!_" while he dived in the former marauder's direction. Voldemort's Killing Curse was blocked by Wormtail's body. That saved Harry and helped Rachel, who was having a tough time with the two Death Eaters. Now she could concentrate on Bella.

Voldemort was cursing up a storm and taunting Harry, but the boy did not reply. The loss of Sirius had taught him that lesson well. For the fourth time in the fight, Harry had to dive to avoid a nasty curse. As he came up, he saw Rachel take out Bella. Harry was pleased that it would now be two on one.

Turning back to Voldemort, he saw a curse coming towards him from his split-second of inattention, trying to dive again, he thought he might be safe when Rachel threw up a shield in front of him. Horror gripped him as he watched the spell splay itself over her shield, creating something like a static discharge before the spell overwhelmed the shield and then fed back to the shield's caster. The curse on hit Rachael splitting her front wide open. Voldemort laughed while Harry sent a Petrification curse at his girlfriend, hoping something could be done later.

Drawing up all his power, unaware that his light-purplish-white aura was back, Harry Summoned Voldemort with all his might. Taken by surprise, the Dark Wizard came flying at Harry at an unusually high speed, and Tom's laugh changed into a scream of astonishment. Harry stepped to the side and let Voldemort fly into the wall Harry had been standing in front of. With a sickening crunch, Voldemort bounced off the wall. Letting his anger come out, Harry flattened his fist so his middle knuckles stuck out, and he punched Voldemort in the throat as hard as he could, crushing the evil wizard's windpipe.

Hearing a hiss, Harry turned and saw Nagini quickly slithering towards him. He shot a Fireball spell at the snake and the creature exploded, knocking Harry off his feet and slamming him into the wall and making him almost lose consciousness. Harry was brought out of his stupor by excruciating pain; he had no memory of how he came to be sitting against the wall instead of standing. It was only then that he realized Voldemort was still alive, and that he had done a non-verbal Crucio on Harry. But as quickly as the pain had started, it also stopped. Looking at his mortal enemy, Harry saw that Tom Marvolo Riddle was no longer breathing. The monster was dead.

Leaning against the wall, Harry looked around and saw that they were in a room without a door off of the atrium. Thru the entryway, he could see a number of Death Eater bodies, but no one alive. Everyone had apparently run off chasing someone, though he could hear fighting in the distance.

Deciding that he needed help, he cast an Enervate at Ginny. She slowly came to and groaned.

"Ginny? Are you all right?"

"No, I think my arm is broken. No other major injuries, I think. How about you?"

"I'm just very tired and groggy. I'm also afraid to look at Rachel. She took a curse for me."

"Um, OK, I can do that for you. Is Tom dead?"

"Yeah, I got Nagini just before he snuffed it. So the main part of our mission is accomplished. Check Rachel, please?" He could not bare to look himself at the moment.

Ginny gingerly crawled over. "Oh god, Harry. It's bad; and she's stiff too."

"That's my doing. I petrified her to try to save her until we could get her to the hospital." Afraid more than he had ever been, Harry twisted away from the wall and crawled over to his girlfriend. Once glance at her front and he almost started retching. Instead, he started crying.

Ginny was sad for him and hurt with him, though she obviously did not hurt as much as he did. Carefully, she stood and walked back out into the main part of the atrium. There she found one of the US Aurors. "Hey! Can you still fight?" she called out.

The man turned and pointed his wand at her. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ginny Weasley, one of Harry's friends. Get some others and come help. Harry's girlfriend needs to go to the hospital."

"I'll send someone."

She watched him pull something out of his pocket and talk into it. It looked like a little shell. Less than a minute later, five other Aurors all came in from wherever they had been. She led them to Harry.

"Harry? Can you make a Portkey to St. Mungo's?" She was lightly shaking his shoulder. Eventually he looked up at her through his tears.

With one last sniffle, he stopped sobbing and conjured a length of rope. "_Portus!_" He held it out for everyone to grab after he tied the end of it around Rachel's wrist.

"Everyone be ready," Ginny told them. "There are probably at least a few Death Eaters at the hospital. Voldemort controlled it too." She watched Harry activate the Portkey and off they went.

As they landed, two people in Death Eater masks turned towards them, and Harry blasted both of their heads off before anyone else could react. Ginny realized that 'Fighter Harry' had returned and he was pissed.

"Where are the healers?" Harry called out.

A nurse who had not so much as flinched at his actions said, "Follow me."

"Are there any more of those scum here?" Harry asked.

The nurse smiled. "Just a few. They're up in the cafeteria now, so if you hurry, you'll find them all together."

"Thanks! Ginny take Rachel and get her help. Two of you go with them, the rest come with me." Harry sprinted for the stairs and up them, not bothering to see if any of the Aurors were coming or not. At the floor with the sign that indicated the cafeteria, Harry left the stairwell, three Aurors right behind him.

A moment later, Harry entered the eating area and saw four black robed people. He personally killed two of them and the Aurors got the other two. Healers and nurses went flying under the tables for cover, almost too late to matter.

When the action ended, Harry called out, "Anyone who works or can work in the emergency room, please report there now. If there are any known Death Eaters here, please let one of the men behind me know so we can take care of them. Voldemort is dead; there will be incoming wounded from the fight." After a slight pause, a cheer went up.

Harry turned to the Aurors behind him. "Go back down and secure the front doors. Also seal off any other door so there is only one way in and out of this place for a while. Oh, and shut down all the Flooes but one, and make it to be incoming only. I'll send one of the other two to help you in a few minutes."

A few minutes later, Harry found Ginny outside of a room with the two Aurors; he sent one of them back to the front. "How is she?" he asked his friend, afraid of what she might tell him.

"I don't know; they just started working on her a few minutes ago."

Nodding, Harry opened the door and went in. The healers were doing several spells on her as well as examining the girl, though it was obvious they had not removed the Petrification yet. One of the healers saw him and came over.

"I'm sorry sir, you'll have to leave while we work on her."

"That's my girlfriend and I'd like to stay and know how she's doing."

"You are?" the healer asked.

"I'm Harry Potter."

The man's eyes went wide. "Mr. Potter, I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you." He took a deep breath. "The truth is she is very badly hurt. Almost every major organ is damaged. We will work very hard to save her."

"You must try," Harry adamantly told him, almost ordering him.

The healer's hopeful look wavered for a split second. "We'll do our best, as we can't leave her this way. Mr. Potter, please step outside so we can work on her. I'll be out to tell you what happens in about ten minutes." He walked Harry to the door and opened it. Seeing Ginny, the healer waved her over to lead her friend out and over to a chair.

The remaining Auror now understood why he was there. Neither of the teens was thinking clearly and they needed someone to watch over them. With a smile, he assumed guard duty with his wand out and at the ready. He would protect them; they had his respect.

Harry was hardly aware of Ginny holding his hand. Neither said anything to the other at first. Harry broke the silence with, "I was planning on asking her to marry me when we returned home." He said nothing else.

Ginny did not know what to say to that, so she just kept quiet and tried to look hopeful for him.

A nurse came walking by and Ginny called out to her. "I think I have a broken arm. Where can I get it fixed?"

The nurse pulled out her wand and did a diagnostic spell. "It's only a simple break, here..." She did a spell on the arm. "There, take it easy for a day and you'll be fine."

"Thanks!" Ginny told her, the arm feeling much better.

Almost fifteen minutes after the healer had sent Harry out, the healer came out himself. One look at him and Harry started sobbing again. "I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, the damage was too great." Knowing there was nothing more to be done, the healer started to leave Harry to his grieving.

At hearing the fatal words, a magical wave of energy came off Harry knocking everyone nearby off their feet and rocking the building. The healer scrambled to his feet and very quickly left. The Auror was impressed.

Ginny was amazed at the power he had released and wondered if that was how he had defeated Tom. She crawled on the floor over to where Harry was on his hands and knees, and she hugged him as best she could. "Cry if you need to, Harry; it's OK to do that. I'll be here for you." Ginny conjured multiple tissues over the next half hour.

Finally, Harry pulled himself together. "That hurts worse than Sirius did," he finally croaked, then sniffled. Ginny conjured yet another tissue, which he used to wipe his eyes again. He took five deep breaths, then five more. Feeling a little better, he looked up for the first time in what seemed like a very long time.

"Right. We have more work to do today, though I think I'm going to need a bottle of Firewhiskey tonight." He did his best to push his grief away for a few hours.

"A Dreamless Sleep potion would be better," Ginny gently suggested.

"Maybe, maybe not." Harry stood and looked at the Auror. "Thanks for covering us. Let's go back to the front and you can help secure the hospital." He led them back to the front, his confidence returning, at least temporarily.

In the lobby, Harry pulled out his wand and created a free-standing arch. Then he did another spell on the arch. "There, no one is to leave the hospital unless they walk through the arch first," Harry told the Aurors.

"What does it do?" one asked.

"It checks for the Dark Mark. A very ingenious spell from a very smart friend of mind. If someone tests positive, you'll know. Stun them and lock them up in a room. They'll be picked up later."

"No problem, Mr. Potter. We'll do it."

"Thanks. Ginny, let's go back to the ministry. I have work there that must be done," _before I lose it_, he thought. He went to the Apparation point and with extra care to visualize his destination, he left. Ginny was right behind him.

Back in the atrium of the Ministry, Harry saw nearly twenty people, whom he assumed were visitors to the Ministry building that day, sitting down and a dozen Aurors guarding the place, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Andrew Stockton both being present.

"What's our status?" Harry asked.

"Except for the Flooes and Apparation points here, all others in the building are off," Kingsley answered. "People are being rounded up and put in conference rooms, except for these, who were wandering the halls. There are a lot of Death Eaters dead, at least forty, a few have surrendered. There's probably a dozen civilian casualties, but don't mourn them, they were probably Death Eater sympathizers. The Wizengamot is in session behind a locked door, although I have no idea what they think they are trying to do."

Harry smiled at the last item. "Fortunate for me. Casualties on our side?"

"We've lost eleven people," Stockton told him. "Most of them were my men, but that's because we took the brunt of the action. A number of others are injured, but they can be patched up."

"Anyone your medics can't heal can go to St. Mungo's. I've cleared it out and five of your guys, Stockton, control it."

"Thanks," the American told him.

Harry looked around and found a good spot for another arch, and created one. Then he put the Dark Mark detector spell on it.

Kingsley recognized the spell. "That's the one Hermione came up with, isn't it?"

"Yes," Harry replied. "She found it during the month we were planning last summer, just before I left. Make everyone walk through that before they go home. Stun anyone who fails the test or won't walk through it. We'll put them on trial later. Now, I need ten people."

"Just a minute," Stockton told him, pulling a shell out of his pocket. A few minutes later, a dozen Aurors arrived.

"Close enough," Harry said with a grin. "Courtroom ten I presume, Kingsley?" It was where everything bad in his past had happened to him in this building.

"That's right, Harry."

Harry left with Ginny and the dozen Aurors trailing him. The doors to courtroom ten were locked and did not open to a simple unlocking spell, Tonks reported. She had been guarding it. When asked about other doorways, she pointed out a doorway to the second floor gallery. Fortunately, a simple unlocking spell did open that.

"Here's the plan. I'm going up there to give them a surprise. Give me one minute then blast the door and come in wands ready." They nodded and Harry went up into the gallery, disillusioned. When he could see them all, and hear them arguing about what to do, he did a transformation that turned all cloth into steel. That started arguing of a different kind.

When the doors below were blasted off their hinges, Harry smiled and cancelled the Disillusionment. Making sure he was seen, he cast a cushioning charm on the floor and jumped down. The Wizengamot looked at him.

"For those who don't recognize me, I'm Harry Potter and I've just killed Voldemort." That caused a stir. "Quiet! Now, I'm cleaning house here at the Ministry so we can start over with some honest men. Unfortunately, that precludes most of you. But on the off chance some of you are blameless, I have a test. If you pass, you stay. If you fail, you leave or worse."

While they grumbled about that, Harry created another Dark Mark arch.

"I will release you one at a time. Surrender your wand, walk through the arch, then come talk to me. What happens after that depends on what you've done. And in case you're thinking of trying to escape, know that we will stun first and ask some very hard questions later."

Harry released the first person and watched him surrender his wand, walk through the arch, then come over to Harry. Harry stared into his eyes. "Are you under the Imperious curse?"

"No."

"Very well, go stand on the left side of the door. You'll get your wand back when you leave the Ministry building this evening." Harry released the second person.

This man screamed as he walked through the arch. He was stunned and pulled aside. The third person claimed to be under the Imperious curse, but with the little bit of Legilimency Harry knew, he could find no evidence of it. He was sent to stand on the right side of the door. Each person of the Wizengamot went through the tests.

"Damn! I should have written down who has gone to what group. I guess it's not too late as everyone is still in the room."

Harry started to conjure writing materials when he heard Ginny say, "I've done it, Harry. I figured you'd want a record."

He smiled at her, the first time since the battle. "Thanks, Ginny. I guess this makes you my assistant." She smiled back at him. Going over, he looked at her list. Of the fifty, thirty ended up being Death Eaters with a mark, eight were actually under the Imperious curse and Harry had freed them, while the last twelve were normal in that they were serving under their own free will.

To the normal ones Harry said, "Because you have gone along with the evil voluntarily, you are excused from service and released from the Wizengamot. You may have your wands in the atrium as you leave. Good-bye." Most were grumbled as the Aurors escorted them out.

The remaining eight stood there wondering what to do, all ashamed at what had happened to them and what they had done. "The law says you are not accountable for what you did because you were cursed; I don't know what to say about that. Therefore, I will tell you to go home and think about what you want to do. You may either resign or return tomorrow to help reform the government. I will be Acting Minister of Magic until a full legislative Wizengamot is recreated and a duly elected Minister for Magic is officially in office; then I will step down. Retrieve your wand and return to your family."

Harry returned to the atrium and found another twenty-four Death Eaters had been found. The cells were full and conference rooms were starting to be used to hold people temporarily. It was a mess. So much of the government was going to be shutdown for a while, but perhaps that would help the people think for themselves, Harry thought, or so he hoped.

As he stood there with Ginny nearby, Hermione came running up to him and fiercely hugged him. "Harry, I just heard. I'm so proud of you for defeating Tom. I always knew you could do it."

"Thanks, Hermione; but I'm not sure it was worth the cost," he said sadly. "I don't think I should have returned."

"I heard about Rachel, too. I know saying I'm sorry doesn't help much, but I truly am. I'm sure she was a wonderful person." Hermione rubbed his back while they talked.

Harry was not sure whether he liked it or not, though he did appreciate the sentiment she was trying to convey. A sharp sob came from his left and he turned that way. Ron was holding Ginny and they both were crying. "What happened?" he asked softly.

"It's Charlie," Hermione explained. "He didn't make it through the battle; he's the fourth Weasley lost. Bill was hurt pretty badly, but he'll recover."

Harry pulled away from Hermione and walked over to his two friends and hugged them both at the same time, one arm around each back. They were so absorbed with one another they did not seem to realize he was there. He understand that feeling and did his best to ignore his own hurt for a little while longer. Yes, the price for winning had been astronomically high.

Looking around, Harry saw Kingsley, Tonks, and Stockton talking as the Aurors from both countries processed people and sent them home, culling out the Death Eaters hidden among the workers and visitors. There was also a search still continuing throughout the building. Harry walked over to the three Aurors.

"Andrew, how long can you stay?"

"I can stay a few days without any problem, Mr. Potter. Beyond that I'll need to get permission."

Harry nodded. "Thanks. I'd like you here through day after tomorrow for sure and probably the next day too. Hopefully we can find enough Aurors left to handle things by then. However, if any of your people would like to take a holiday here in England for a few weeks at our expense, and you can do without them, I'm sure Kingsley wouldn't mind the help and I'll find the money."

Stockton grinned. "Oh, I suppose a few might like to take you up on your offer. I'll ask."

"We'd appreciate it." Harry turned to the English Auror. "Kingsley? As I recall from school, there is a law that describes temporary Ministers and martial law during times of crisis. I'm invoking that."

"As Acting Minister of Magic, I appoint you the Head of the Aurors for now. You have three priorities. First, keep the peace in public as best you can. I know that's not easy right now because you're so understaffed, but try your best. Second, protect the Ministry and uphold the laws here. I think Law and Order starts here and spreads outward. The war is now officially over; any laws broken from the time I arrived back in England until now are excused. From now on, our normal laws apply. And third, when you have the time and ability, chase down any free Death Eaters so they can be prosecuted."

Kingsley was nodding his understanding as Harry talked. "I understand, Harry. That's a lot to do, but we'll do it somehow. Any more help you can get us would be appreciated."

"I'll see what I can do for you. I meant what I said in the courtroom. As soon as a normal government is brought into being, I'm out of here. I don't want the position or the power. For the moment, the Aurors will be the only fully staffed department. Most of the rest will start back up as we have time, some departments will never return as they really aren't needed."

"Right, sounds like a good start. Tonks?" Kingsley turned to her. "Go investigate the Minister's office and make sure there are no traps or other unlawful objects in there so Minister Potter can occupy it. Take a few others with you." Tonks cheekily saluted and left.

Harry turned around and saw Ginny looking at him as she listened in. He stepped over to her and gave her another hug now that she would be able to hear him. "I heard about Charlie; I'm sorry."

"Thanks," she whispered to his shoulder.

Harry turned back to the Aurors. "Kingsley? As I understand it, the Minister for Magic is supposed to update the Muggle Prime Minister when there are big changes that might affect the Muggles?" Kingsley nodded. "I should probably pay the man a short visit and let him know that things should be settling down."

"Right, I can arrange that. Why don't you get a bite to eat one level down? By the time you're done, I'll have it arranged and Tonks should be done with your new office," Shacklebolt advised him.

With a nod, Harry left for the elevator. He was not sure whether it was good or bad, but his three friends came with him. By the time he started eating, he decided it was a good thing he had company. If left to his own thoughts, he was almost sure he'd loose his composure.

After dinner, he found his new office with a little help for the directions. Tonks was waiting for him. "This is impressive," Harry commented.

"You deserve it and a whole lot more for what you did, Harry," his friend and guard told him.

"It was a team effort, Tonks."

The Metamorphmagus smiled. "True, but a team is useless without the right leader, and you were the catalyst and leader we needed for this. Anyway, you need to hurry. The Muggle Prime Minister has an important dinner party tonight. Just say 'Muggle Prime Minister' as your destination to the Floo and you'll go to his office."

"Right." Harry felt nervous.

"Would you like me to come and take notes, Harry?" Ginny volunteered.

How did he answer that? "Uh, sure." He looked at the others. "We'll be back in a few minutes." He and Ginny left.

Ron looked at Hermione, who just shrugged. "Well, I'm going to go see Bill. Want to come?" Hermione agreed and they left for St. Mungo's.

* * *

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom tried to be patient as he waited for his magical counter-part. Everything had been going so badly lately and he knew it was not normal, so he had a few choice words for the man he was about to see. As he was rehearsing his diatribe, his fireplace gave off a green light and two people came out of it in short order. He was not sure which surprised him more: their age or their appearance. They both had to be teenagers and looked like they had been doing manual labor, based on their dirty and rumpled look. This was not the man he had talked to last time.

"Mr. Prime Minister," the boy held his hand out and they shook hands. "I'm Harry Potter and this is my assistant, Ginevra Weasley." The girl frowned at the boy before she smiled at him and curtsied. "I'm sorry for the short notice, but I have some news for you, then we will take our leave and let you get to your dinner party."

His diatribe completely forgotten, he pointed to a couch. "Please have a seat." Then the burning question on his mind came out. "Aren't you a little young to head a government? The last one was much older," he thought about a Rufus someone.

Harry smiled at him. "Yes, well, as you know, things have been very bad as we've been at war. I'm very happy to say that, as of a couple of hours ago, the war is over. You should find that many of the things from our world which were spilling over into your world will cease happening. All the bad guys will take a little time to round up, but you'll find a dramatic decrease in problems starting now."

"Thank you, that's good to know. Pardon me for repeating myself, but why you?"

A large smile lit Harry's face. "Because, I'm the one who kicked the arse of the evilest Wizard in several hundred years. I'm also the one who is leading the clean up effort to put our society back in the rights."

"You?"

Harry laughed. "Yes, me." He stood. "That's all I need to tell you other than I'm stepping down as soon as the clean up is done; so expect another visit from our new and more permanent Minister after the elections in about a month. Have a good evening, sir. Ginny?"

The Prime Minister watched Harry Potter wave the young lady towards the fireplace and let her go first, then the young man left. A kid was governing the Wizards. This was yet another reason no one would ever believe him if he told someone about this secret society. Shaking his head, he left his office, though he was not sure how much attention he would pay his guests tonight.

* * *

Harry returned to his office and he and Ginny started making a list of things that needed to be done tomorrow. As they were reviewing the list, Ron and Hermione returned, and Ron was holding a wrapped box in his hand, which he held out to Harry.

"Here, one of the American blokes at the hospital, a Jason, gave this to me to give to you. He said you'd mentioned wanting one tonight."

Not knowing what it could be, Harry opened the slender box and found a bottle of Ogden's Firewhiskey. "This really does sound like a good idea considering what's happened today."

To Ron amazement, Harry did not sound happy like he wanted to celebrate, but sad. "How about I help you with it, mate. I wouldn't want you to get sick because you drank the whole bottle yourself?"

Harry looked up to see a smile on his friend's face. A small one came to his as he nodded. Moving to the two couches and the low table by the fireplace, Harry conjured four glasses and poured a drink for each of them, and handed them out. The girls did not protest.

"To victory," Ron said. They all lifted their glasses and drank, though the girls limited themselves to small sips. The boys took a large swallow and coughed. When they were breathing normally again, faint wisps of smoke could be seen coming out of their ears.

"To those we've lost," Harry said morosely. They all drank to that too, before they sat. Ron and Hermione sat next to each other on one couch, while Harry and Ginny took the other couch, though they sat on opposite ends with an empty seat between them.

The drinking continued and talking started. The boys drank most of the bottle, but the girls had a glass apiece sipped very slowly. Two hours later, the boys were laughing uproariously while the girls were quietly giggling from time to time.

Ron looked at Harry and incredulously asked, "You told the Muggle Prim Minister that you kicked his arse?"

"That was the _Prime_ Monster, and yeah, that I kicked Tom's arse. I wanted to show him how, since it didn't look like he believed I could. I know, I should have conjured a large snake for him and then talked to it. Yeah, or a penguin. Can you imagine how he would explain a penguin in his office after we left?"

Ron howled at that. "Oh, good one. And did you really introduce Ginny as Ginevra?"

Ginny frowned as she heard Harry say, "Yes, it seemed proper. We were in a formal sitting, I mean setting. Well, we sat too. I would have introduced the whole family, but they weren't there..." his joviality quickly faded. "But they couldn't be there," he said quietly. "Bugger! Damn Tom! Damn the Death Eaters! Damn them all to hell! They destroyed so many families... So many families to be." No one said anything for a moment as Harry's face continued to become sadder. "He destroyed Rachel..." Harry put his empty glass down and buried his face in his hands. "My beautiful Rachel..." he sobbed, losing his composure again, as he did at the hospital.

After a few moments, Ron slurred, "I'm sorry, Harry. I'm sorry I didn't get to know her. She was pretty, and it looked like she loved you."

Harry was barely audible while he sniffled and talked through his hands. "I was going to ask her to marry me when we returned home, now I can't. I won't have her crazy perfection..."

"Come on, Harry, no babe is perfect." Ron did not see the look from Hermione at that statement, which was for the best.

"I thought Rachel was," Harry slowly insisted. "She looked perfect to me, she had a perfect personality for me, even her flaws were perfect."

Ginny did not know how to take this part of Harry. She wanted to be his friend, but she had to admit to herself that she also wanted him - Harry. She wanted the bloke with the glorious green eyes who made her want to melt, who used to kiss her with such passion he had to hold her to prevent her from falling down. How could she compete with a memory of perfection?

Ron snorted as he drained his glass and looked at the bottle, sad it was empty. "Harry, I know I'm totally pissed, but even I know flaws can't be perfect."

Harry ran his fingers through his hair. "Rachel's were. I loved her so much." Harry moved down to the middle the couch and laid down, his head where he had been sitting and his stocking feet automatically wiggling behind Ginny's back and bum without him being aware of what he was doing. He continued talking while lying on his left side with his left arm under his head. "She had these annoying little habits, but they were so cute I really couldn't get angry. She was really impatient when I got in one of my moods, but I needed that. She was also able to set me straight when I was wrong, sort of like your sister in that regard."

Ginny perked up at that and looked at Hermione, who merely raised an eyebrow. Both girls had been quiet and only listening for the last hour, letting the boys talk and work the stress out of Harry. However it happened, both girls thought Ron was doing a magnificent job, despite him being uncorked from drinking so much Firewhiskey.

"Like Ginny? You're barmy and so is she. When she gets her temper going, you just have to run."

If not for the alcohol induced calm, Ginny would have Bat-Bogeyed him. Well, that and she really wanted to know what Harry thought, and her hex would have killed the talking mood.

An overly loud laugh came out of Harry. "Ron, Ron. You're just not looking at her right."

"What's to see but a powerful witch? You wouldn't think that much power could fit in such a small package," Ron protested.

A dreamy look came to Harry's face. "Who cares, I can handle it. In fact, that's what makes her so exciting. When she gets angry, you can see her power come out, it's..."

He paused for long enough, Ginny thought he had fallen asleep.

"...intoxicating," Harry's speech becoming very slow. "She's always been so beautiful that way. When I see her blazing like that, I just want to ..."

Ginny waited for this pause to end, but it didn't seem too. Looking over, she saw Ron had passed out. Craning her neck, she saw Harry's eyes were closed too. Hermione was looking at her. "Well," Ginny said softly, "that was a sentence I would have loved to have heard the end of."

Hermione tried to suppress a giggle, but it came out anyway. "That was a very interesting conversation. I'm glad they were so pissed they forgot we were here."

A giggle escaped Ginny too.

"Ginny? I know it will be hard and he'll have a lot a of mood swings, but be there for him and be a friend to him. Let him find you again."

"You think he will? You heard him say how perfect she was. I can't compete against perfection."

Hermione put her empty glass down on the table. "Yes, but Ginny, there are multiple ways to be perfect, and you heard Harry describe you that way too. Give him time and be patient." The brunette pulled her feet up under her, leaned back against Ron, and conjured a blanket to cover them.

Ginny smiled at that. With care, she got up and went to the private bathroom in the office. Feeling much better when she returned, she looked for a place to lie down. There were no other empty couches, so it was the floor for her; or maybe... Ginny barely made it to an empty space on the couch before she fell down and passed out from exhaustion and alcohol.


	11. Chapter 11

_{A/N: For those that are wondering, this story will be 19 chapters long, so we're a little over half way done. My plan is to finish posting the story over the next week. Also, some have pointed out that Harry is OoC in this story (with respect to canon). In a sense, yes he is. I will also point out that this story has the "A/U" flag on it. That gives me large license to explore ideas. If you really don't like that, then I'll kindly suggest you go find another story. None of my other stories are this "strange", so you'll probably find one of them more enjoyable. In the perfect world I'd rewrite this story to make some things plainer, maybe I will if I get really bored some day.}_

* * *

**Chapter 11 - The Struggle Within**

Harry felt himself regaining consciousness slowly. He was a combination of hurt and wonderful. For some reason, he could not remember last night; but that had to be the reason his head hurt so badly, if only he could remember what he had done.

He felt wonderful because Rachel was snuggled up against him. He could feel her bum pressed against his hips as he spooned her from behind. She fit very well; in fact, better than he could ever remember with her head tucked up under his chin. She was as warm as ever and smelled nice, though different; she must have gotten some new perfume. His right arm was around her holding her close. His right hand closed on one of Rachel's most visually appealing features, It was as soft and wonderful as always. He idly squeezed and played with her slowly, enjoying the moment.

A small intake of breath from nearby caught his attention, so he slowly opened his eyes. Maybe six feet in front of him was Hermione, looking intently at him. It was hard to see her though because there was a reddish haze in front of his eyes. Suddenly, the loss of Rachel and the memory of red flowery smelling hair and warm body clicked in his brain and he froze. With great effort, he lifted his head and looked in front of him and saw Ginny snuggled against him.

Harry gently lowered his head and softly groaned, "Oh god, what have I done?" Looking back up, he found Hermione's eyes. Slowly and carefully pulling his hand away from Ginny, he pointed at Ginny's eyes and then turned his hand over to wave it around in a questioning manner. Hermione nodded her head. Harry softly groaned again.

With exaggerated care, Hermione stood and pulled out her wand. She cast an Imperturbable charm around Ron. "I need to go to the bathroom. It may be a while before I come back." Slowly but steadily, Hermione left the room, the bathroom door closing with a click.

With a raspy voice, Harry whispered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." He stopped as Ginny started turning over until she faced him. He had been expecting an angry look and maybe even a wand tip, but instead, she had a smile of patience on her face.

"It's all right, Harry. I'm not sure how I got here, but I had a great night's sleep - the best in a very long time."

"But I..."

"Ssh... It really is all right. We're both adults and I realized you thought I was someone else in your sleep. I don't feel taken advantage of or anything. It was just one of those things that accidentally happened. No real harm was done." She really wanted to tell him she had enjoyed it, but he was obviously mortified and she did not want to scare him off.

Harry looked at her closely, her very pretty brown eyes inches from his. A memory came forward, one he immediate shoved to the back of his mind. "Thanks for understanding. I won't let it happen again, because I'll never get drunk like that again."

She smiled at him. "That was the first time for me too, and I think I agree; unless it's under very different circumstances. I'll go get Hermione out of the bathroom and we'll go home and change. You take a hot shower and put on some clean clothes. Your backpack is over against the wall."

He nodded, "Thanks, you're an irreplaceable friend, Ginny."

Hiding the joy in her, she slowly and a bit unsteadily got up and walked to the bathroom. A soft knock brought Hermione out. Hoping for the best, since the Floo worked last night, they went to the fireplace, using "Number twelve Grimmauld Place" as their destination, they left.

Grabbing his backpack, Harry headed for the bathroom. Half an hour later, he had to admit that he felt a lot better. Ron was still out and lightly snoring away. Opening the door to the office where his assistant should work, he saw Tonks sitting there reading the _Daily Prophet_.

"Hey, Harry. I was wondering if you were going to get up anytime soon. I would have come in and woke you, as it's nearing ten, but after what you did yesterday, I don't think anyone has the guts to bother you. Well, except for these twits at the _Daily Prophet_, and they cheat by doing it from long distance. Can I go teach them some manners today?" she asked cheekily.

Spying the tray of food with a soft glow, which indicated a Warming spell, Harry reached for that. "Why? What did they print about me now?"

"Oh, that you've defeated Voldemort, which is good. From there, they vilify you for killing so many people, most of whom they say, untruthfully, did not have the Dark Mark. Then they spend a lot of time saying how you've set yourself up to become the new Dark Lord, especially as you single-handedly imprisoned or fired the entire Wizengamot yesterday. All in all, mostly lies." She sighed. "I had so hoped that I could start reading this rag again as I wanted some real news."

Harry swallowed the eggs he was eating. "Do you think you could round up a few Aurors who'd like to pay them a visit so we could get everyone at the paper to walk through a Dark Mark detector?"

The pink-haired witch grinned. "Actually, your problem will be turning away all the extra volunteers. By the way, six of the Wizengamot members returned this morning and have started making a list of what needs to be done for you to look at. The other two felt they should not return and voluntarily retired. Also, we're going to need to get the Department of Records up and running again as soon as possible."

"That's a good idea, Harry." He turned to see Hermione and Ginny behind him, both looking refreshed and in different clothes. "There are a lot of deaths and other important details to society to record. A large number of people will want to get married too," she said blushing slightly.

"Like you and Ron?" he teased her.

"Yes. You might also want to consider letting people put whatever date on it they want within, say, the last ten months. I'm sure a number of others married in secret and would like to put their real wedding date on it."

"Practical as always, Hermione. That's a good idea. Perhaps we could borrow a Quidditch stadium somewhere and have one big ceremony with lots of officials and certificates to do them all at once," Harry thought out loud.

"Did someone say Quidditch?" Harry looked around the girls and saw Ron in his rumpled clothes.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No, Ron, we didn't. The Floo works, so go home, shower and change. We have a lot to do today."

"Yes we do," Tonks agreed. "Harry, give me about fifteen minutes and I'll have a small squad ready for you to go straighten out some people. I would suggest you think about what story you'd like to see in the paper and force that for one issue as a public service announcement so people know the truth. I'll return shortly."

"Thanks, I like it. Oh, and Tonks? I need a case of Ogden's best Firewhiskey." He tossed her his small money bag.

"That won't be cheap, Harry. Didn't you get enough of that last night?"

"Yes, I don't know that I'll ever get drunk like that again; but in this case, it's a present."

"Oh."

"There should be a thousand Galleons in the bag. Get an extra bottle for yourself for running my errand. Bring me back the change," he requested. Tonks smiled and nodded.

As the Auror left, Hermione asked, "What was she talking about?" Harry handed the brunette the morning paper.

* * *

An hour later, half the staff of the _Daily Prophet_, including all the editors, were incarcerated for having the Dark Mark. The remaining staff started working on a very simple edition for tomorrow. Thinking it a great idea, Harry got a hold of Remus and told him to come to the newspaper's office. Once he was there, Harry made him the acting Editor until more unbiased, or at least less biased, people could be found. Harry realized he was overstepping his authority by taking control of the paper, but he saw it as a vital public service for the moment. The fact that the owner was an uncle of Marcus Flint and a known Death Eather eased his conscious temporarily.

The rest of the day was spent getting the Wizengamot and Minister for Magic elections going, as well as finding any honest Ministry workers who were still alive to come back and start making things work again.

A visit to Azkaban showed the place to be deserted, so with some new guards, it could be used. No one seemed to know what had become of the Dementors, but after some thought, it was decided that the last credible report of one being seen was over four months ago. They could only speculate that Voldemort had destroyed them because, in the end, he had been unable to fully control them. It was a mystery that would never be solved.

Harry was frazzled from the long day by the time a late dinner came. Ron and Hermione were off doing something, so Ginny ate with Harry in his office away from all the gawking he had received throughout the day.

He had found a half bottle of wine in the Minister's cabinet, so he added that to the meal. "One glass for you and two glasses for me, and no more tonight," Harry said as he poured.

"Why two for you?" she asked with an impish smile.

"I'll share the last with you, if you want, but I can handle it better as I am bigger than you are." He started eating his dinner. "Ginny, I'm sorry that I'm not being thoughtful about your feelings. I'm so lost in my loss, I forget you lost a brother yesterday and your parents a couple of weeks ago."

"Thanks, Harry. I'm probably holding up better because I've seen so much death in the last year starting with Percy, but yes, those three do hurt." Ginny had seen Harry withdraw into himself whenever he had free time today. He appeared to snap out of it when he had to do something, but when left alone, his sad look would come back. It was not hard to figure who he was thinking about. Thinking back to Remus's counsel in the US, she had decided to pitch in and help him where she could. Her plan was to spend as much time with him as possible as his assistant. That would help her take her mind off her losses too.

Hermione had been invaluable with her ideas and analysis. They were starting to examine all the laws passed since Harry had been born; Harry was rescinding most of them, as they had favored Voldemort in some way.

As they finished dinner, they sat next to one another on the couch with their feet up on the low table. Both were staring at the fire and working on the last of the wine, still quite sober. They talked just to avoid having to think about missing friends and family.

"Harry? What do you want to do after this mess is cleaned up, as you put it?"

He leaned his head against the back of the couch as he thought about that. "I really don't know, Ginny. Part of me wants to go back to living the beach lifestyle; its simplicity is very appealing. But I'm afraid that would remind me of Rachel too much. Rachel asked me a similar question during one of our last conversations on the beach. She pointed out that I could do so much more than working in a bookstore, no matter how much I liked the carefree life. I was thinking about helping her grow her business, create a national chain of clothing stores, but I guess that won't be happening." He paused, hoping something would come to mind. "I don't know, Ginny; I just don't know."

"Are you going to go back and get your things to live here again? Or are you go to go back to the US and just live somewhere else?"

He drained the last of his wine and held the empty goblet to give his hands something to do. "I think I'll go back with the Aurors the day after tomorrow to get Hedwig and my stuff. I don't think I can live there any more, especially after I tell Pamela, Rachel's sister, about what happened."

Ginny took the last sip of her wine and put her goblet down. "You want some company on that trip? I can help you pack, or just be there."

A small smile graced his face. "And that's why you're such a great friend, Ginny, especially considering what you've been through. Thanks, but I believe I need to do this on my own. It'll probably take me a couple of days to get back."

"I understand. That would probably be a good time for me to go see my parent's graves. Charlie is to be buried day after tomorrow as well."

"Do you want me there? I can postpone my trip."

"You don't have to, I'll just be bawling my eyes out and you shouldn't have to deal with that. Besides, you should take advantage of the International Portkey the Americans will be using."

"You sure, Ginny? I can always get my own Portkey; I am the Minister for Magic, you know."

She chuckled. "I can see the power is already going to your head. It's going to be bloody hard keeping your ego in check," she told him cheekily.

They sat in silence for a minute before Ginny told him, "Go back with the Americans, Harry. We both need to grieve in our own special way with our families, such as they are. I'll be here when you return."

"Thanks, Ginny; I'll be back, you don't have to worry." He reached over and rubbed the back of her hand and then squeezed it, but he did not let go either. "We have a special errand to take care of tomorrow, in the morning I think."

"Oh? What now?"

"Hogwarts. Someone mentioned to me today that it's locked up and no one knows how to get in it. I need to so I can make sure we have access later so I can fulfill my obligation to the Americans. Also, the school will need to reopen eventually."

"Good point. Since it's already near the end of September, it's too late for it to open this year," or so Ginny thought.

"Yeah, we need a whole new staff and that will take awhile, but it should be easier to get people to come now that the war is over, or so I would think. Maybe it can reopen in January and be for those who should be in seventh year this year, or those who want to do independent study to catch up on a few topics," Harry thought out loud.

"Are you going to finish your last year, Harry?"

"I don't know, but probably not. Of course, I guess I could just sit my NEWTs and not bother with the courses. All I need to do is pass, not make an "O". I'm not Hermione."

Ginny joined him in laughter before she quickly looked him up and down then told him with a smile, "I had noticed."

Harry smiled at being teased. "How about you?"

"I suppose I will. I don't know what I'm going to do with my life, though Professional Quidditch has crossed my mind. If I can get a good contract for a few years, that should hold me for a long time."

"At least until you're married?" he asked.

"Until then," she answered, hoping she already knew who would ask.

They continued talking, their questions and answers slowing down and getting further apart.


	12. Chapter 12

_(A/N: My apologies on the delay on this story. I know I said I'd have the rest of it up by the end of this week, but "real life" has happened to both my beta and my self. So the present plan is to have ch 12-14 up over the next few days, and then post the rest of the story sometime next week. Those plans are, of course, subject to the vulgarities of "real life". :-)_

* * *

**Chapter 12 - Welcome Home**

Harry woke to find he was still on the couch. He was going to have to stop doing that, he thought. Then his next thought was 'why?' He was surprisingly comfortable. Looking at his watch, he noticed it was a little after eight. He also noticed there were four jean covered legs on the couch in front of him, and only two of them were his. This time, he fully remembered talking to Ginny last night, though he did not remember falling asleep.

He turned his head to see where she was and was immediately embarrassed as his face pressed into her. The slightest of blushes came over him as considered where he was. Now he knew why his head was so comfy as he lay against her chest, his head on twin pillows. Harry started to get up when he realized that was going to be hard as her arms were wrapped around his chest this time. The problems he got himself in.

Trying to carefully and slowly move her hands and arms off of him, he was amused to feel her automatically tighten them back, trying to hold him closer. As he had had sleep induced actions yesterday, he supposed he should not hold that against her either, especially considering how gracious she had been. It was almost certain she was reliving thoughts from the end of her fifth year when they were dating.

"Ginny? Ginny? Wake up..."

"Just a little longer..." she mumbled.

"Ginny?" he called louder and also rubbed one of her hands. She awoke with a start.

"Harry?"

He chuckled. "Sorry to interrupt your dreams, but we do need to get up."

"'Kay." She let go of him and slowly stretched.

Harry stood and helped her up. "Sorry about last night too. I didn't mean to use you as a pillow."

"It's all right, Harry. You looked like you needed the company and I know I did." She then grinned at him. "I hope you don't mind that took advantage of you."

"No problem," he laughed, in a good mood. "You're one of the few people who can calm me with your presence, but then you've known that for some time. I enjoy your company too."

"Well, I better run home and get ready for the new day. Of course, considering how much we have to do and that I keep sleeping here, perhaps I should bring a few changes of clothing back."

"You could," Harry smirked. "If you weren't such a good friend, this would be really embarrassing."

"Thanks, Harry. I'll be back shortly. Wait up and I'll get breakfast with you." Ginny left through the fireplace in a flash of green light.

Harry shook his head and chuckled to himself. This clean up operation was nothing like what he had envisioned, both work-wise and personally. Of course, he had not expected to lose Rachel either. With a deep breath to dispel the mood that sad thought brought, he headed towards the bathroom for a shower and where he kept his clothes while he stayed here. He did his best to let his grief wash down the drain too; he was not entirely successful.

* * *

Ginny brought Ron and Hermione back with her, which was a good thing.

Over breakfast, Harry looked at a number of status reports and approved them, causing a lot of work for others. Kingsley joined them for a few minutes and reported that eight of the Americans would be staying for a month beyond tomorrow, and he had more Aurors coming on loan for a few months from France, Germany, and Switzerland. He also reported that they had rounded up another thirty-eight Death Eaters in the last twenty-four hours. Most of them had not put up much of a fight.

The other good news of the morning was the _Daily Prophet_ contained only factual information this morning, plus Harry's vision and plea for all citizens to help repair their society as quickly as possible. The owner of the _Daily Prophet_ had been a Death Eater too, but since Harry recognized the valuable service it provided, he had not allowed it to shut down. As the present owner, who was now in Azkaban, could no longer pay his employees, Harry had personally guaranteed the money needed to run the paper until it could be auctioned off. At the moment, it just kept running on its own, though at a reduced size.

After breakfast, the four teens Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts. The gates were locked. Fortunately, Harry had thought to bring brooms. He, Ginny, and Ron had theirs; Hermione rode behind Ron. They flew over the fence and to the front door.

Several spells later, both Hermione and Harry were puzzled at the still locked doors.

"Back in a minute, I've got an idea," Ginny said, before she got back on her broom and flew off.

Shrugging, Hermione started trying some of the more obscure unlocking spells, all of them failing. As Harry was about to start worrying about Ginny, he saw her flying towards them from the other direction. He now understood she had flown around the castle.

"Well, did you find any open windows?" he asked.

"Good guess, but no. The place is sealed. I wonder how anyone is to get in if there is no Headmaster?" Ginny looked slightly frustrated, but not as much as Hermione did.

"Ah! Of course!" Harry shouted. "I'll unlock the doors from the inside shortly." He was off on his broom flying back towards Hogsmeade over the lake so fast, no one had time to stop him.

"Duh, he's right," Ginny jumped on her broom and took off, her Comet not able to catch up to Harry's Firebolt, but she was able to keep him in sight.

"Damn! I swear he's just like you, sometimes," Ron said to Hermione.

"Thanks, Ron!" she teased him. "You know you like me like this." He glared at her, but Hermione could tell he was having to work at it. "How about we sit on the steps together while we wait?"

"Do you know where they've gone?"

"I would guess they've gone to Honeyduke's, but I'm not sure. I really should have thought of it too." Hermione was actually pretty calm about it, or so Ron thought.

Ron sat beside the girl he thought of as his wife and nibbled on her left ear. "So, what should we do while we wait?" he whispered and gave her the shivers.

* * *

Ginny did not see him when she landed, but she was sure she had seen him landing nearby; it was the logical place to come. With a simple unlocking spell, she was in the former candy store of the now-deserted Wizarding village.

"You know, if you had come in the back door like I did, you wouldn't have been so obvious about what you were doing, should someone happen to see you."

Ginny jumped in surprise at the voice calling to her, then walked into the back storeroom. In the cellar, she saw Harry.

"You did close and lock the front door, right?"

"Yes, I'm not that stupid," she said sarcastically as she started coming down where he was. "So, where's the door?"

"That's a problem," he said. "It seems to be missing. It's as if it's been merged with the floor."

"A good Transfiguration professor could do that," she offered.

He laughed. "Yes, that would be a good explanation, and McGonagall would qualify. I don't know if she knew about this passage, but I suppose we should assume she did. Well, let's see what I can do." He transfigured one of the boards into a stick, which fell down into a hole. With a smile, he inspected the hole to find its edges before he summoned the stick and changed it back into a board and put it into its rightful place. Then with a Cutting spell, he cut a door in the wood making sure it was slightly bigger than the hole.

He levitated the hole cover out of the way and descended down the steps into the tunnel. After Ginny had joined him, he levitated the cover back. So no one would know they were down there, he also added a small illusion charm to hide the cut. With lit wands, they jogged through the tunnel toward the school.

At the other end, Harry uttered, "_Dissendium_", but the statue covering the end of the tunnel only moved about an inch before it stopped.

"Well, that sucks!" Ginny complained.

Harry chuckled, imaging what her mother would say to her comment as he examined the end of the tunnel and the resulting crack. "It does indeed. Hmm, say Ginny? How good are you with your human to animal transformation spells, and the reverse too?"

"I made them work in class."

"Good enough to do them on me successfully? Or should I do it on you?" He was still peering through the crack in the wall.

"You'll still be living when I'm done. Why?"

"I want you to transform me into a bug so I can crawl through the crack and into the castle. Then you'll have to shoot the animal to human transformation spell at me through the crack so I can fix the end of the tunnel. How does that sound to you?"

Ginny appreciated the way he was approaching this. Much calmer than what Hermione would have been, and not as accusing and assuming she would fail as what Ron would have said. She had to admit, she liked working with Harry; he treated her as an adult. "What do you want to be?"

"How about we borrow a page from Rita's book? If you can do a beetle, I think that would work." Harry cast a spell on the wall and that spot started putting out a soft light, so he put his wand up and looked at her.

Ginny stopped her light spell. In the soft light, she cast the transformation on Harry and he turned into a black beetle. She carefully picked him up and set him in the crack. He slowly walked on his six legs into the castle. A couple feet inside the castle, the bug turned around and looked at her. Guessing he was ready to be changed back, she reversed the transformation. Human Harry reappeared on his knees.

"You're brilliant, Ginny!" She glowed at the praise as he stood. "Ah, there a chain on the statue. _Evanesco! Dissendium!_" The statue now moved completely to the side. Harry reached out his hand and pulled Ginny in. Once she was inside, the statue moved back and the chain reappeared.

"That is strange!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Too right. Well, let's go let Hermione and Ron in." He led them towards the front door.

They noticed that the portraits still moved, but they did not see a single ghost, nor was Peeves to be found, which actually suited Harry, though the empty castle was a bit creepy without others there. At least Ginny was there with him.

The front door had a large wooden timber in place. So like the one-humped witch statue, there was a physical barrier in place. Harry levitated the heavy rough board out of the way while Ginny unlocked and opened the door.

"It's about time," Ron complained. "We've been waiting nearly an hour."

"Well, it's a good thing Harry and I were the ones breaking in and not you, or we would have been waiting for days," she told him acidly, not liking his tone.

"What did you have to do to get in?" Hermione quickly asked to prevent an escalation to the argument. Ginny quickly explained and Hermione was impressed at their work.

"Do you smell something?" Harry asked. "Maybe something rotten?"

He walked towards the Great Hall, wondering if food had been left out. Opening the door, he saw dozens of black robed bodies that were half rotted, half mummified. He slammed the door shut, but not before the other three had seen the same sight.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Hermione said, walking away looking for some fresh air. Everyone else followed.

"Must have been where the battle took place," Ron commented.

"Yeah, but I didn't see any bodies for the teachers," Harry observed.

"Oh, you weren't here then," Ginny started explaining. "The way we knew the battle had happened was some house elves brought the professor's dead bodies to us. I never thought about the fact that the Death Eaters must have died in the castle too. From the quick count, I'd say the professors did a pretty good job for being on the wrong end of a surprise attack."

"I was going to ask if the house elves were still here, but if they were, they never would have left that mess in there. Oh well, let's try the Headmaster's office." Harry started to lead them away from the battle scene.

"Wait! Look at the front door. It's barred again and we didn't do it." Hermione had her wand out and was looking for someone else.

"Oh, we forgot to tell you. The castle seems to be keeping itself locked. We watched the chain reappear on the statue. It's almost as if the castle will let you in if you can figure it out, but it makes each person or team work at it. I'm hoping the answer is in the Headmaster's office." Harry started walking. He and everyone else still had their wands out.

"Now what?" Ron asked as they arrived at the gargoyle-guarded stairs. "We could be here for years trying to guess the password."

"I actually did that a few times when Dumbledore was in charge, but then he had the bad habit of always using the names of candies. Did McGonagall have a pattern?"

"No," Hermione answered. "I know she used: bagpipes, racing broom, volcano, and electricity. She seemed to use random words. Of course, by the time she became Headmistress, security was much more important."

Harry looked at the stairs and the landing high above. If only he could fly, then he laughed to himself.

"What?" Hermione asked. She watched him pull his shrunken broom out of his pocket and enlarge it. She understood and groaned at over looking the obvious.

Harry flew up over the railing to get to the landing at the top of the stairs. He stepped on the top of the stairs and the gargoyle moved aside. The other three came up. They found the Headmaster's office to be unlocked.

"It looks like she just stepped out for a moment, except for all the dust," Hermione noted.

"Ah, someone has returned," said the deep voice of a portrait on the wall.

"Professor Dumbledore?"

"Yes, Miss Granger. Why don't you all come over here? Hello again. Mr. Weasley, Miss Weasley, and Mr. Potter. Tell me, how are things? Have you fulfilled the prophecy, Harry?

"Yes sir, two days ago. I ended Tom's life in a battle in the Ministry of Magic. In an effort to clean up the mess, I've assume the position of Minister for Magic until someone can get elected."

Even in his photograph, Albus Dumbledore's eye twinkled. "Congratulations on all fronts, Harry."

"Professor? Why is the castle locked up?" Hermione asked.

"Ah, I assume you had trouble getting in, and once in, you're finding that the castle locks the door back after your passage?"

"Yes, sir."

"I shall assume that Minerva initiated the castle's Lockdown Mode. It's for self-defense. It can be overridden, but that usually takes long enough that people inside can organize a credible defense or leave. Because you are here and I have not seen Minerva in far too long, can I assume that something happened to her?"

"Yes, sir." Hermione explained about the battle that had taken place nearly three months ago.

"I see. That would also explain why Minerva's portrait has not woken up. There has been no new Headmaster to wake her."

Hermione continued, her curiosity driving her. "What do we do? How do we open the castle and make it normal again?"

"That is quite easy, Miss Granger. Hogwarts merely needs a new Headmaster."

"So I need to form a new Board of Governors, since the old one is dead or in Azkaban, elect a new Headmaster and then get him or her in here?" Harry postulated.

"That is one way, Harry." Dumbledore's eyes started twinkling again for a few seconds. "The easiest way is for you to assume the Headmaster role. The castle would then respond to your requests."

The other three teens looked at Harry, who said, "You're not serious, are you?"

"Why not, Harry? You are presently the most powerful wizard alive. I can't think of a better place for you than to teach the next generation of wizards and witches. Not only can you teach magic, but you can instill in them the proper values. You can even improve on my failings, of which there were many."

"I guess I could for long enough to get things back to normal and we find a new Headmaster, sort of like what I'm doing at the Ministry," Harry threw out.

"If you think that's best, Harry. However, I would suggest you keep the job for longer than that."

"But there are so many more qualified people than me. Hermione is more qualified than me. At least she passed her NEWTs," Harry said incredulously.

"Harry, you won't be the first Headmaster who doesn't have his NEWTs. None of the founders did, nor did any of the Headmasters for several centuries later. NEWTs did not come about until the early 1600's. What matters most is a good heart, an innate understanding of magic, and the ability to delegate. The ability to say 'no' is also useful."

Harry looked at his friends.

"It would be really cool, Harry," Ron told him.

"I agree with Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said.

He looked at Ginny. "It is your choice, Harry; but ask yourself if you trust anyone else to get it all started on the right track again, like at the Ministry. If you decide to do it, I know you will be successful."

Thinking for a moment, he finally looked back at Dumbledore's picture. "All right, I'll do it. Now what?"

"Excellent, Harry. As Miss Weasley said, I too know you will be successful. See the model of Hogwarts over on the shelf? Go over to it and put your hands on it. Good. Now repeat after me."

Harry followed Dumbledore's lead, inserting his name at the proper place. As he bound himself to the castle, he felt a surge of power and knowledge rush into him. "Ah!" he shouted and fell to his knees.

"Harry!" Ginny screamed and rushed to him. "What happened?" she angrily queried the portrait.

"He has successfully completed his bonding to the castle. It will now obey him. Don't worry, he'll be fine soon. It's just a real kick in the seat of the trousers for few minutes." Ron laughed at the old man. The girls glared at Ron.

Slowly, Harry stood up and looked around. He smiled too. "Wow, this is amazing. I know everything about the castle. Tilly?"

A house elf popped in. "Headmaster? Harry Potter, sir?"

"Hello, Tilly. Yes, I'm the new Headmaster. Can you gather the other house elves who belong here?"

"Yes, Headmaster."

"Then please gather a small number of them and bring them here. The school will be opening in January and there is much to set right before then."

"Yes, Headmaster. It will be done."

"Thank you, Tilly. I'll return in about a week to speak to you again." The elf left. "She's a nice little elf," he said mostly to himself before he turned to the others. "Well, I know the state of the castle and we can get in anytime we want now, so our mission for today is accomplished. Let me fix the access list on the Floo and we can return to the Ministry and plan. Good-bye Albus, and thank you for the help."

"You're welcome, Harry. I look forward to more chats with you. Oh Harry?"

"Yes, Albus?"

"Would you be willing to wake Minerva? I'd like to chat with her, for old time's sake. You only have to call her name."

"Minerva McGonagall, wake up," Harry commanded. The portrait of his former Transfiguration teacher slowly blinked her eyes open.

"Mr. Potter?" the last Headmistress came to "consciousness".

"Good morning, Minerva. Albus requested that I wake you up. He wanted to chat with you."

"But that would mean..." she trailed off.

Harry smirked. "Yes it would. I'll leave it to him to explain. I'll return in about a week. A pleasant morning to both of you."

Harry waved his wand over the fireplace and the four teens left. Three of them were amazed at the outcome of the morning. The fourth teen's head was still buzzing with new information as he tried to sort everything out. He wondered if he could find a Pensieve in the castle or if he'd have to buy one. He now understood why they were so useful.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 - The Memory Remains**

Harry woke alone for the first time in many days. Until three days ago, it was normally Rachel with him. He and Ginny had accidentally fallen asleep on the same couch for the first two nights after the war. Ginny was on the other couch at the moment, so she was not far away, but Harry had slept alone.

Being alone was harder than he had thought it would be. He missed Rachel so much. This also made him realize how much he appreciated Ginny being such a good friend the other two nights. She had helped him greatly by spending the night with him and for just being there to talk to. Getting up, he went into the bathroom, took a shower, and put on some clean clothes. He tried to pick some nicer slacks and a nice shirt. He was going to have to meet with the Head of the American MLE again. To top it off, he put on a nicer Wizarding robe too. Coming out, he saw Ginny sitting in her pyjamas and groggily rubbing her eyes. "Your turn," he told her.

Ginny smiled and went into the bathroom after grabbing some clothes.

Harry decided to wait for her for breakfast, so he took that time to do a few other things that needed to be done before he left that afternoon at two. He had just finished writing a tear-jerker of a letter; in fact, he was still trying to get his eyes dry, when Ginny came out of the bathroom looking very nice in her robes.

Upon seeing him, Ginny immediately went to him and put her arms around his shoulders. "What's wrong, Harry?" It was bit awkward since she was standing and he was sitting, but he did not seem to mind as he was leaning into her with his arms around her waist.

"I just finished writing an official letter to Pamela, Rachel's sister." He sniffled still trying to get his emotions under control. "I so do not look forward to seeing her today."

Ginny continued holding him and slowly rubbed his shoulder. "I'm sure she'll expect you to keep the British stiff upper lip and carry on."

That made Harry start chuckling as he finished his sniffling. He then squeezed her waist as he pulled back and stood up to look up at her. "Oh Gin, what would I do without you. You've helped me so much these last few days. You fought with me, you've help me get things reorganized here, you helped me open Hogwarts back up, and you've been a true friend through it all." He let a smile come over him now. "You've even given me comfort by sleeping with me." As she started blushing, Harry gave her a hug and squeezed her as tightly as he could.

"Potter!" she gasped, "I need to breathe!" She finally inhaled as he let her go. They smiled at one another with their arms loosely around one another.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I need some breakfast and I waited on you, so let's go." He led a smiling Ginny out. There was an Auror in the outer office; Harry was never left unguarded. The two teens marched on down to the cafeteria discussing what had to be done today before Harry left at two and Ginny left at three.

* * *

At one o'clock, the largest meeting room in the Ministry was filled to capacity. Ginny and a few others were behind Harry on the stage. There were reporters on the front few rows. 

"Good afternoon, everyone," Harry began. "This will be a short press conference, but it is still an important one. First, I'd like to announce that the elections to fill the Wizengamot and the Minister for Magic positions will be on the 29th of October. After discussions with advisors about the law and our current state of affairs, I've decided that all positions will be open, even those held by the remaining six members of the Wizengamot; that seems to be the most fair thing to me. I believe it is very important that the Wizarding community in Great Britain have the chance to start completely over."

"In that vein, while positions are being filled here in the Ministry to keep things running, all of these appointments are considered temporary until they can be confirmed by the new Wizengamot and the new Minister."

"Third, on the 11th of January, Hogwarts will reopen its doors." There was much cheering and applause for that, which Harry had to wait for. "I will be the temporary Headmaster for the Spring term. That term will be mostly for those who are about to take their OWLs or NEWTs and want help revising for them. Other students are welcome to come and catch up on any missing studies to complete a year before normal classes and curriculum begin next Fall. I recognize that this year will be unique while we get things straightened out. I am also announcing that every position on staff is open; therefore, I would love to see the CVs of anyone who is qualified to teach and would like to teach; please owl them to the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and I'll get back to you."

"My last announcement is that our American friends who helped us in the war are about to leave, or at least those who are not on loan to us are." Harry smiled and got a few chuckles from the audience. "Therefore, would Andrew Stockton and his Aurors please come to the front." As they did so, Harry kept talking. "To these men and women who put their lives on the line, twelve of whom did give the ultimate sacrifice, we wish to thank you for that service." Harry started clapping and everyone else joined in.

"I have an Order of Merlin, Third Class, for each of you here. Mr. Stockton, I have twelve more awards, Order of Merlin, Second Class, which I will give to you to give to their families back home." Harry started handing out the awards and thanked each person. By arrangement with Stockton, one young man had been specifically put at the end of the line.

When he reached the end of the line, Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. Then in a voice that was not amplified so only the man and the female Auror standing beside him heard Harry, Harry said, "Mr. Jason Montrose, because you personally helped me by going above the call of duty, I would like to return the favor." Harry handed the little box to the man, even that small, the "Ogden's" was quite readable. "Two of those are for you personally, the rest I would appreciate you sharing with your friends. I might suggest leaving two bottles for those who are staying here for the next month."

Jason stood even straighter and saluted Harry. "Thank you, Mr. Minister!" The Auror beside him smiled; she was looking forward to enjoying a few glasses of the present and talking about this adventure with her friends at the office.

Harry walked back up to the podium. "This concludes today's press conference. I'm told I'll be doing another one next week." Some people laughed at that. "Until then, I leave you with these words: There is a road that is easy and a road which is right; at this time, more than any other in history, we need to take the road which is right, no matter how hard it is. Good-day."

There was applause and people started filing out. Reporters also asked questions, but British Aurors kept them back. Harry turned to his adopted family and started handing out hugs and wishes, as well as telling them how sorry he was as he could not make Charlie's funeral, that he had another funeral to take care of. All too soon, it was two o'clock and only those close to Harry and the twenty-nine Americans who were going home were left in the big conference room. Harry joined them by grabbing onto the rope Portkey, and then Andrew Stockton returned them to the US Ministry of Magic.

* * *

It was with sadness that Ginny watched Harry leave, but he had wanted to do his task alone and she was not going to intrude on that with his "other family". She was also not sure she wanted him to see her fall apart, which she was almost certain would happen shortly. 

Ginny returned to Harry's office and changed more formal robes; then she joined her family for the short time before the funeral service.

At the funeral service led by Bill, who had gotten out of the hospital only last night, Ginny did cry her eyes out. If she had to pick a favorite bother, she would have said it had always been tough to choose between Bill and Charlie. As it stood now, that choice had been removed from her by what everyone thought was a stray Killing Curse. It had not even been aimed at Charlie, but it had caught him on the shoulder and taken his life just the same as if it had been directed at him.

After the service, the Weasleys and their spouses, along with some guard from the surviving Order of the Phoenix, went to the graveyard the Weasleys used and laid Charlie to rest beside his brother and his parents. Now Ginny did lose it; seeing her parents' grave made it so real she could not avoid it. Before, she had been busy and could pretend her parents were on holiday or some mission, but not now. Those stone markers proclaimed to the world that Arthur and Molly Weasley were no long among the living. Ginny sobbed uncontrollably on Hermione's shoulder for a long time.

The guard from the Order stood watch at a respectful distance. Attacks from Death Eaters over the last few days had been very few, but they had happened and there were still more Death Eaters on the loose to be found. They hated doing this duty. It was hard to watch when their eyes also had tears in them, but they did this because the Weasleys had been there for them when they had had to bury family members. This war made them all, regardless of surname, extended family -- and family stood up for one another at times like this.

* * *

It was the beginning of the day in Philadelphia when Harry and the returning Aurors arrived. Rick Dodgers, Head of the MLE stood waiting with a smile. "Welcome back, Minister Potter. I'd also like to congratulate you on your victory, as well as your current position, even if it is temporary." 

"Thank you, Mr. Dodgers. It's good to be alive. I want to officially thank you for your help, as well as tell you that Hogwarts will be reopening in January."

"That's very nice to hear. I realize it's still very soon after war, but do you know who the new Headmaster will be so we can coordinate something with him or her?"

Harry smiled. "Yes. For the first year, it will be me."

Dodgers laughed. "Is there anything you're not capable of, Minister Potter?"

With a wry grin, Harry told him, "Many things, I'm sure." After the chuckles from everyone died down, Harry continued. "Back to your question, I had to become Headmaster to open the school back up. It had been magically sealed."

"I see. If you have a few minutes, our Minister would talk to you about a few things, perhaps give you a few thoughts about ways we can work together in the future."

"Certainly, Mr. Dodgers."

* * *

Though the meeting with the American Minister had not been overly long, it had still been intense. Harry was most surprised by them taking him, an eighteen year-old, so seriously. But then, he supposed that if he could take down the most evil wizard in the last few centuries, he probably did deserve some respect. 

It was with a heavy heart that he embarked on the next step of his trip. The American Ministry had been very helpful with Portkeys. They had given him one to Florida and an International one to go back home. The Portkey to Florida had landed him in the middle of the street of North Daytona Beach.

Deciding to go from easiest to hardest, he walked toward Gloria's office first. Fortunately, Gloria was in. He gave her the key to his house and told her that tonight would his last night in the house and she could keep the remaining four months of rent he had pre-paid. Gloria was very nice about it all and told him that any meal he wanted at the restaurants here was on her. Thanking her, Harry left for the bookstore.

As Harry walked into the bookstore, Mark looked up and smiled. "Harry! When you said you needed a week off to take care of things back home, I wasn't sure I was going to see you again."

"You almost didn't. In fact, you wouldn't have if it hadn't been for Rachel."

"Speaking of which, where's your beautiful girl?"

Harry hung his head. "She died fighting and, well, she even saved my life." At Mark's shock, Harry gave him a very condensed version of what had happened.

"I'm so sorry, Harry. It was obvious to everyone how in love both of you were." After a pause, he asked, "You're leaving too, aren't you?"

The young man nodded. "I don't think I could take it here. There are too many reminders of her; besides, I've got obligations back home for the next year."

"Family things?"

"No." Harry's expression slowly brightened and turned into one of teasing. "I'm the new Minister for Magic for all of Britain."

"Oh, shut up! You sound like those Fantasy books you like to read so much." Mark told him disbelievingly.

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter; he also pulled out his wand. After obscuring the middle part of the letter, he handed it to Mark. "The contents of the letter are private, but look at the letterhead and what's at the bottom. And yes, that is my real name. Harry Patterson was how I hid myself."

Mark took the letter and saw that it said, "Minister for Magic" with the all the ornate flourishes and icons across the top of the parchment. At the bottom was written, "Harry James Potter, Minister for Magic, Great Britain." He looked at the young man in front of him. "Well I'll be..."

Looking up, Mark heard the young man say, "No, that was not created for a joke. It's for Pamela and is the letter of recognition in honor of Rachel's service. It goes along with an award."

Handing it back, Mark slowly said, "Well, I guess you do have other things to do."

"I'm also the current Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry too." At Mark's look of shock, Harry added, "at least for the next year until we can find a new Headmaster. I'm only Minister for Magic for the next month or so until a new one can be elected, so both positions are temporary."

"Oh. Still, I wonder if anyone has ever held both positions at the same time?"

"Interesting question, I'll have to ask my friend, Hermione. She'll know or will find out. She's into that sort of thing." Harry's expression fell again. "Well, I have two more stops to make and should go, no matter how much I dread my next stop."

Mark put a hand on the young man's shoulder. "I really am sorry for your loss, Harry. Oh, before you go, let me get your pay. I owe you for your week's work before you left."

"Don't bother, Mark; I really don't need it. Keep it for the trouble I'm putting you through for quitting without notice."

A snort escaped Mark. "Harry, you earned it, so you should have it. Plus, you were one of the best employees I've ever had."

"I'll tell you what. There are a few books I've been wanting. Let me take those instead."

Mark agreed and let Harry grab them. When he saw it was the hardback version of the entire collection of works by J.R.R. Tolkien, Mark smiled. "Nice choice, Harry. I still probably owe you money, but take them with my blessing. If you ever find yourself near here, be sure to stop by."

"Thanks, Mark. Take care." With that, Harry left and forced himself to go to his next meeting.

* * *


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 - For Whom the Bell Tolls**

Down the street, Harry walked into Rachel's Robes. Pat, Rachel's main helper, was behind the counter. "Hi Harry! I'm glad you're back. Where's Rachel?" As Harry's sad face looked down, she cried out, "No! Please tell that didn't happen."

Harry could not make himself look up. "She sacrificed herself for me; I couldn't stop her."

"Oh Harry!" the girl cried out as she rushed to him and threw her arms around him. "I'm so sorry - so very sorry. I know how much she loved you, she told me many times."

"I loved her too; I was going to ask her to marry me soon. I'm sorry to take her away, Pat."

"It's not your fault, Harry; she told me she was going to war. Is there anything I can do?" She had not let go of him, for which he was more grateful than he had expected. Pat had always been friendly.

"Do you know where Pamela is?"

"She should be at home. She due in here in about two hours to work the rest of the day. Oh, do you need me to work the rest of the day?"

Harry nodded. "If you could, that could help. I don't fully know how she's going to feel, but I bet she won't want to work."

"Sure, no problem. Go to Rachel's house. If she's not there, stay there and I'll send her there as soon as I see her. Don't you worry about the shop."

Harry appreciated the brunette taking charge like this; it was very helpful. "Thanks, you're a bigger help than you know."

"Go take care of Pamela, Harry." Pat squeezed Harry one more time before she finally let go. Harry gave her a sad smile before he Apparated to Rachel's front porch at the western edge of the town.

It was with a sad face that he knocked on the door to a house he had enjoyed coming to so many times, but not this time. Pamela opened the door, one look at Harry's sad face and the fact that her sister was not with him sent her into a panic. "Harry? Where's Rachel? Is she in the hospital?"

Thinking that beating around the bush would be the worst thing he could do, Harry said, "Pamela, I'm so sorry. I couldn't protect her and she sacrificed herself to save me." The words were not any easier to say now than they had been before. The young woman crumpled and Harry leapt forward and barely caught her before she hit the floor. Despite the fact that Pamela had been three years older than Rachel, she was several inches shorter and correspondingly lighter. Harry picked her up with ease and carried her to the couch in the living room. Searching for a towel, he wet it and put it on her forehead. A few minutes later she finally came to.

The sad look that was still on his face caused her to burst into tears. Harry did not know what else to do but to pull her to him and hold her tightly, letting her sob out her grief. He did not know how long they were that way, it seemed like an hour, but eventually Pamela cried herself out.

"What happened?"

"Oh Pamela, you would have been so proud of her," Harry told the girl. He then spent the next forty-five minutes telling her in great detail about what had happened after they had left. He could not help himself and started crying when he got to the part where she had been injured and how he had petrified her to try and save her.

Pamela did not ask any questions, contenting herself in what Harry shared. After a mutual silence for several minutes after Harry finished his story, she simply asked, "Now what? I can hardly think straight."

Harry did not bother to wipe the tears from his eyes or his cheeks. "Some things are sort of easy to figure out. You'll need to take care of her things here, including her shop. Maybe you want to run it, or maybe you can sell it to Pat on some sort of arrangement. I brought Rachel's body back with me and we can bury it anywhere you want."

"I think next to our parents' graves would be fitting. They're in Miami."

"OK, I'll help you take it there this afternoon," Harry told her.

"What about you, Harry? What are you going to do?"

"After I help you, I'm going to go pack my things. I need to return to England. I'm the temporary Minister for Magic until things get back on track, and I'm also the temporary Headmaster of Hogwarts for the next year."

"Seriously?"

Even in his sadness, Harry gave her a small smile. "Seriously. In fact, I've got a few things for you." He pulled out a letter and handed it to her.

_Dear Miss Pamela Tindale,_

We are very sorry for the loss of your sister, Rachel Tindale. We know there is nothing we can do to bring her back to you or to make up for her being taken from you, but we do want you to know how much her service to our country means to the Wizards and Witches of Great Britain. Her very talented efforts and her sacrifice is one of the direct reasons one of the worst Dark Wizards in several hundred years has been defeated. We know she was an amazing witch who can never be replaced.

Again, we know we can never make up for your loss, but please accept our small token of gratitude in her honor: an Order of Merlin, First Class. We don't award many of these, but Rachel Tindale deserves it.

Harry James Potter,  
Minister for Magic, Great Britain

Harry handed her a very ornate gold medal with the picture of an old wizard holding a staff and wearing a pointed hat on his head. "The Wizengamot was only going to hand out one of these, but I convinced them to award two more."

"Oh?"

"For some stupid reason, they were only going to give one to me. Everyone else's award would have been a Second or Third Class award. I basically blackmailed them by telling them I would not accept the award in any form or fashion unless Rachel got one too."

Pamela looked at the award, lightly brushing her fingers over the image. "And who did the third one go to?"

"Someone decided that my friend Ginny should have one too, if Rachel was going to. It was because of her efforts that I went back to England."

"I'm not sure if I should be angry at her or not. If you hadn't gone, I know Rachel would still be alive," Pamela said bitterly.

"That thought has crossed my mind," Harry said evenly, "but I can't find it in myself to blame Ginny. She was trying to end a war to protect her country and what was left of her family, a war that took the lives of many. She also knew of the Prophecy that said I was the only person able to kill Voldemort."

Pamela gasped and looked hard at him. "You mean - I can't - Oh god, that's so unfair to you."

"Tell me about it." They had a few more moments of silence before Harry said, "Pamela, I do have one more thing for you before we go lay Rachel to rest." He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her. "Again, this can't make up for my failure to protect her, but I hope it can help make life easier for you until you can find peace."

"A hundred thousand Galleons? And Harry, this is off of your account, not from the Ministry."

"I won't miss it, Pamela," Harry told her sincerely. "I have more money than I'll ever be able to spend; and if it will help you in any way, no matter how small, then it's better in your hands than in my vault. Take it and do something fun with it. Finish school, travel the world, grow _Rachel's Robes_ into a national chain, what ever you want; your imagination is your limit."

She hugged him. "Thanks, Harry. You didn't have to do this, but thanks. I'll find something to do in Rachel's honor. Now, let's go take care of some business. I want to be finished crying for a while so I need to get this done."

"Can you Apparate without splinching right now?"

"I don't know, Harry. Maybe..."

"Then you can't Apparate. I know some Legilimency; not enough to break into your mind, but enough I could read the memory if you think about it and let me in. If you'll do that, I promise to leave as soon as I have the image of the graveyard and then I'll take both of us there. How's that?" Harry asked.

"OK, that's probably best. Here, see the image, Harry..."

Harry looked into her eyes and quickly found what was needed. "Stand up and I'll take us there."

"Wait! I just remembered I was supposed to be at the shop an hour ago. Pat's going to kill me."

"Actually, she won't," Harry assured her. "I went there first looking for you, so she already knows and volunteered to stay there the rest of the day." Pamela looked relieved. Harry grabbed her arm and with the image of the graveyard from her, he Apparated them both southward.

They were in a nice looking graveyard. Green grass was everywhere, as were a number of ornate headstones. The two went to the office that oversaw the graveyard and Harry paid for a spot next to the graves for Rachel's parents. Pamela tried to stop him, but he took care of it anyway.

Once that was done, Harry and Pamela went to the proper place and Harry used his wand to dig a hole. Pulling a small matchbox sized coffin from his pocket, he levitated it into the hole before he enlarged it, then covered it up. It had been quick and easy, but that did not reduce the pain for either of them. Harry conjured up a couch and they sat and each cried a little more. Pamela also took a few minutes for her parents. Harry used that time to clear his mind using his Occlumency training, trying to get back to a stable place in his mind.

When they had finished saying their good-byes, Harry grabbed Pamela's arm and Apparated them to his house. "Why don't you stay for dinner? It's close to that time."

"Thanks, Harry. You're so thoughtful." Pamela watched him rummage through his cupboards pulling out food to fix. "You know, Rachel thought the world of you. You were a consternation to her at first, being the only person her age who had ever bested her in a duel."

Harry chuckled as he turned on the stove. "She told me that once. You know, she's been the only person my age to ever beat me in a duel as well. We were well matched."

"She wanted to marry you..."

"I wanted to marry her." Harry put a pan on the stove and just stood there for a minute, staring at the pan as if it contained the answers that he wanted about the injustices of life. "I - I guess we just have to keep going. Rachel said it took a couple of years to get over her parents being gone, so I know it can be done."

Pamela sighed. "It took me nearly a year, but then I had to grow up faster to take care of Rachel. I was only eighteen at the time."

Harry threw some ham in the pan. "Pamela, once you take care of things here, whether in a few weeks or after you finish college, if you find that you don't like it here, you're more than welcome to come to England. I have some good friends there and I think you'd like them. I'm sure they'd like you."

"Thanks, Harry. That's very nice of you."

"I mean it, Pamela. I'll always treat you like family." Like the family I almost abandoned, he thought, mentally kicking himself for his mistake.

Tears started coming to her eyes as she walked over and gave Harry another hug. "You're incredible. Some girl is going to be very lucky to have you some day."

Harry harrumphed as they parted and he pulled out some vegetables. "You're assuming I ever find one that likes me as Harry, not the famous Harry Potter. Being a celebrity sucks big time," he told her drawing on his time from being in America. "I'm not even trying to be one either. I'm just doing what has to be done."

"Which is what makes you such a hero," she smiled at him. "Where are your plates and glasses? I'll set the table."

After they ate, Harry started packing. He found four beers left in the fridge and pulled them out. Pamela took one and helped him pack. As Harry finished putting things away in his trunk, he looked up in surprise and almost smacked himself. "Blimey! I almost forgot Hedwig! She was one of the main reasons I came back."

"Let's go back to Rachel's place. I sent your owl out with an order yesterday evening, so she should be back by now." Pamela popped out and Harry followed across the short distance to the other side of town.

"Hedwig!" Harry cried out when he saw her. The owl happily hooted and flew over to him. Harry made much ado about his most faithful friend over the years. As he was about to go back, he saw a picture of he and Rachel over her mantel, as well as one of just her next to one of just him.

"Pamela? Can I have these two pictures? This is my favorite one of her, and I want this other one of us as a reminder."

"Sure, Harry. Take any of them you want." Harry selected the two and put them in his robes. "Are you going to be OK here?"

She sighed. "I'll have to be." She hugged him. As she let go and he was about to leave, she quickly called out, "Harry?" He looked at her. "Can I, uh, can I sleep at your house tonight? I'll stay on the couch, but I'd really prefer not to be alone. If you don't mind too much..."

He smiled. "I understand. I had someone sleep with me the first couple of nights afterwards, so I understand just how much a presence can help. Get whatever you need and come over." He left for his house, Hedwig secure in his arms.

Pamela showed up a few minutes later with a long nightgown in her hands. She changed into it while Harry changed into some shorts and a short T-shirt. Pamela joined Harry in his bed after he invited her in. She cuddled up next to him with her hand on his chest and went to sleep.

Harry let her cuddle with him, putting his arm around her. He had meant it with he said he'd always treat her like family. A part of him wondered how Pamela would work as a girlfriend, but he immediately rejected the idea. Pamela was nice, but she was not Rachel and never would be. It would be a painful relationship for both of them, always reminding the other of the missing girl. No, Harry would love her and treat her like a sister, but she could never be a lover.

He would have to find someone else for that position. He only knew of two females off the top of his head who would treat him like "just Harry", and one was already taken by his best mate. Maybe he was going to have to wait a few years for his fame to cool before he started searching for a girlfriend, or else he'd have to travel to another country again. Maybe if he could find some girls who did not treat him like a celebrity and that he could be just a friend too, he would eventually find a girlfriend. His last thought before falling asleep was that life just sucked sometimes.

The next morning, Harry carefully got up without waking Pamela and got dressed. After making breakfast, he woke her and they ate together. With a last hug and good-bye, he sent Pamela to Rachel's house while he shrunk his trunk down and put it in his old backpack, which he put on. With Hedwig in her cage and in his hand, he activated his International Portkey and left America to go home. A few seconds later, he found himself stumbling in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic in England. By a large dollop of luck, he had managed to stay standing and not make a complete fool of himself in front of a dozen Aurors who were on guard duty. Harry was thankful for small favors.

* * *

  



	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 - Until It Sleeps**

It was a little after three in the afternoon when Harry arrived in England in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. His body was so messed up with the time changes, he was not sure how long it would be before he found normalcy again. Striding toward his office, he said hello to everyone he knew and nodded to those he did not. Everyone knew who he was -- it was maddening.

In the outer office to his office, he found Ginny busily working away. She smiled as he walked in.

"Hi! I wasn't sure when you'd be back."

"Hi to you too. I tried to make it as fast as possible as I know we have so much to do here."

"We do," she agreed. "Since you're here early enough, the Wizengamot needs to talk to you about the next set of departments to start back up again and possible department heads to be confirmed. Also, the Head of the Department of Records agrees with the idea of a mass wedding ceremony and wants to talk to you about that. There are a few other things, but they can wait until tomorrow."

"No rest for the weary, huh?" he quipped.

"And no good deed goes unpunished," she returned.

Harry chuckled as he dropped his stuff off, let Hedwig out of her cage, and then walked to his first meeting. Ginny followed him carrying a stack of parchment, a Dict-O-Quill, and a regular quill.

* * *

Harry and Ginny had just finished a late dinner. They were also having an after-dinner glass of wine. Apparently Rufus Scrimgeour had had a pretty good collection of wine at the office, while Voldemort had not cared about or touched the stuff. So the teens had helped themselves to what they had found. Harry had found a goblet or two was a nice relaxing way to end a day, and did not pack the punch Firewhiskey did.

They sat on a couch, shoulders almost touching but not quite, talking about the day. Ginny also had the schedule for tomorrow, which they discussed. Harry was finding Ginny to be a very able assistant and had been invaluable so far.

"So, does anyone have any idea about how many couples might show up at the mass wedding ceremony?" Harry asked. "We need to have some idea about how many forms to bring and how many Ministry workers we'll need to help with this."

"No, anyone's guess is as good as anyone else's. I know Ron and Hermione will be there, as will Remus and Tonks. You'll also probably get extras there just because you're the one doing the ceremony."

"That is not a reason to get married," Harry strongly objected.

Ginny smiled at him. "I know, but..."

There was a knock on the door. Harry waved his wand at the door and it opened. He did not really fear who might be there, as there was generally at least two Aurors near his office at any one time. Hermione stood in the doorway.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure. Want a glass of wine?" Harry asked.

"Thanks," she said and closed the door. "Oh, don't trouble yourself," she told her friend as he started to get up. "I'll get it myself."

Harry watched the brunette help herself at the mini-bar to half a glass. He assumed by the small amount that it was more so she could join in the moment with her friends than because she wanted one. "So, how are things going for you?"

"Pretty well, considering. I've been helping the Department of Records get organized for the mass wedding. Ron and I are going to be there so we can put our real wedding date on the certificate."

"Cool," Harry said. "Speaking of which, where is Ron? I haven't seen him today."

"Oh, you won't see him for a while, unless you need him. He's been busy," Hermione said vaguely.

Harry looked at Ginny, who seemed to look as lost as he was. "What's he doing?"

"He's out getting a job. Ron thinks it will be easier as life returns to normal. It's pretty tiring he tells me, but if you want him to come by, I'm sure he'd be happy to," Hermione told them.

He was not sure what it was, but Harry was almost certain there was something Hermione was not telling him. Remembering that he did not want everyone to know everything about his life, he decided to give Ron some privacy. "OK, let us know when he finds something."

"Of course, I'm sure he'll come tell you himself." Hermione visually changed expressions as she changed topics. "Say Harry, about what you said at the press conference, what are your qualifications for professors at Hogwarts?"

Harry smiled as he had expected this. He noticed that Ginny was grinning as well. "Oh, the usual. A fully qualified Witch or Wizard with demonstrated expertise in the area they want to teach, and the ability and desire to work with students. Teaching experience is desired but not required." Then he slowly drawled, "Whyyy?" He knew the answer, but wanted to tease her.

Hermione seemed to bite her upper lip slightly as she looked down thinking. Looking up at him, the words rushed out. "Because I'd like to teach there, Transfiguration; I want to teach Transfiguration."

"I wished I could have bet on that, because I'd be rich," Harry said with laughter in his voice. Ginny was hooting laughter at both of them and almost spilled her wine.

"Stop it! Both of you," Hermione commanded. "I can't believe you'd laugh at me when I share my dreams with you."

Harry quickly got his laughter under control, and Ginny toned her response down to a large grin.

"Hermione," her green-eyed friend said, "you have to understand how, uh, Hermione-like that answer was. In fact, I already have a position reserved for you teaching Transfiguration."

"You do?"

"Certainly. For those like you who want to teach and are still a little early in your careers, my thought is to find an older teacher to mentor you for a year or two. Let you take the first two or three years of students, but also have you sit in on the older classes as well, gradually taking them over as time goes by."

"Wow, that's good thinking, Harry. I like it," Hermione told him.

"Good. An advert to that effect will go into the _Daily Prophet_ in the next day or so. So, here's something else for you to think about. If you want, I'll let you be Head of House for Gryffindor."

"Seriously?" Hermione was almost in shock.

"Oh, but it gets better. I have a person in mind for Deputy Headmaster. Once I turn things over to him in a few years, I would recommend that you are made Deputy Headmistress," Harry outlined for his friend.

Hermione looked shocked and then confused. "That's -- that's... Wait, you're planning on being Headmaster for a couple of years now? I thought you said only until you could find someone who could do it."

"That's still mostly true, I'm just starting to think that it will take a couple of years before I'm sure that things are where I want to turn them over." Harry drained the last of his wine and put his goblet down.

"I suppose that makes sense." Hermione thought about it for a few moments before her face showed she had come to some decision and seemed to be happy about it, though she did not share her revelation. She looked to her female friend. "Are you coming home, Ginny?"

Ginny glanced at Harry, not quite sure how to answer that, as she really did want to talk to Harry some more, or actually she just wanted to spend time with him. He solved the problem for her.

"We weren't quite done with our conversation," Harry smoothly answered.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hermione apologized. "I wasn't aware I was interrupting anything important."

"No problem, Hermione, you couldn't have known. By the way, has anyone ever been Minister for Magic while being the Headmaster at Hogwarts?"

"No, Harry, you are the first. For that and several other reasons, you'll probably get your own chapter in the next addition of _Hogwarts: A History_. I'll see you tomorrow." Hermione got up and left after her friends bid her good-night.

Ginny looked at Harry, wondering what else there was to talk about. As far as she was aware, they had talked about everything for their jobs for tomorrow, but he seemed like he had more on his mind. When he did not say anything after they were alone, Ginny finally asked, "What did you want to talk about, Harry?"

Harry was feeling embarrassed about this, but he did want to talk to her. "I, uh, I wanted to ask a favor of you, Ginny. It's going to sound strange, but I don't know who else I can ask."

"Sure, Harry, just ask."

"But it's going to sound strange. Maybe if I tell you why first..." He seemed to be thinking out loud.

After a few seconds of silence, Ginny told him, "Look, just be your usual blunt self, Harry. I like that about you when you do that." Harry still looked pensive, but then he shrugged.

"OK, blunt it is. Ginny, will you sleep with me tonight?"

"What?" She was so surprised she had sounded normal instead of shrieking her answer.

"Will you sleep with me, here on the couch?"

"You mean you want to, uh..." she did not seem to be able to finish that thought. She could not believe he would do this. Sure, she liked him and wanted him to be her boyfriend, but this went so far beyond that.

"Yes, I'm quite sure. I've been thinking about doing this for a couple of days."

Ginny had not thought she would ever turn down doing anything romantic with Harry, but she also had not believed he would ever have what could only be meaningless sex, either. Perhaps losing Rachel had mentally unbalanced him slightly, she considered. Or maybe she was really misunderstanding him, remembering the last time she had failed to take "Harry logic" into account. "Uh, maybe you should tell me why?"

Harry sighed and looked her right in the eyes so she could not look away. "You promise not to tell anyone?"

Ginny nodded.

He sighed again and then leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees, peering intently at the goblet on the low table in front of him so he would not have to look at her. "Because I need help, Ginny, and I can't admit that to anyone else. You and Hermione are probably the only ones I could ask to help me, and because of Ron, I can't ask Hermione. Besides, you're the better choice anyway."

She still felt lost in this conversation. "Go on."

"I first started to realize this day before yesterday, but last night I fully understood. After I told Pamela about Rachel yesterday, we buried her body, and then Pamela came over to my house to help me pack and have dinner. At the end of the evening, she wanted to go to bed with me. I could see her need, so I let her and it was good for both of us."

Ginny's eyes went wide and she contemplated leaving immediately. This Harry that casually had sex with girls was not who she was expecting.

"As I held her tightly, I realized I was doing for her exactly what you had done for me those first two nights when you slept with me. Your mere presence gave me more comfort than you could know. And then the next night when you did not sleep with me and slept on the other couch, I had nightmares. I was fine last night with Pamela, so I think I need someone with me."

Now Ginny was starting to understand, he really did mean "sleep" as in share a bed while unconscious. Her racing heart started to calm and she was glad she had not blurted out her thoughts.

"I mean, I'm the Boy-Who-Does-Everything so people think I don't have problems, but I do. That's part of why I have the glass of wine, it helps me to relax, but it's not enough to drive the demons in the nightmares away." Harry finally sat up and looked at her caring face. "Will you help me, Ginny? Please Gin?" he started to beg.

How could she refuse his plea? "Of course, Harry. I missed sleeping with you the other night too." And, just maybe, this was how she could get him to notice her as friendly female and ex-girlfriend who would like to drop the "ex".

"Thank you so much," he told her with much emotion. "I'll just go to the bathroom real quick and change, then you can." He quickly got up and left the room.

She smiled and went over to a cabinet she had put several changes of clothes into, as well as some pyjamas, which she pulled out. They were fairly new and looked nice enough. She really wished for something filmy and seductive, but Harry was obviously not ready for that, nor did she own anything that looked seductive or sexy.

He came out a few minutes later in a short-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of shorts, and she went into the bathroom. When she came out, she found that he had transfigured one of the couches so it was longer and twice as wide. It had a blanket over it and he was lying down. With a smile and hoping she understood that all he really wanted right now was a living Teddy Bear, she joined him.

"Nox," she heard him say, but he had not had his wand.

"You did that wandless. What else can you do without your wand?"

"That and Lumos. Oh, I'm starting to be able to do the Summoning charm too, but it's not quite consistent yet. Uh, Ginny? Will you come closer? I'd like to hold you if you don't mind."

Ginny scooted closer and then felt Harry grab her around the waist and pull her in closer so he could spoon behind her, which she had to admit felt pretty good. If only her mother could see her now, she'd have a fit. That thought made her sad, as she was still somewhat grieving over the loss of her parents. Maybe she needed this comfort as much as he did.

* * *


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 - Cure**

Hermione walked into the outer office of the Minister for Magic and found Tonks guarding the door. "'Morning, Tonks," she said brightly. "Is Harry up yet?"

"Don't know, but I do know he hasn't shown his face yet, why?"

"Just wondering as Ginny didn't come home last night."

The Auror grinned. "Yes, she's in there, but that's all I know." At Hermione's raised eyebrow, Tonks added, "And that's none of your business. Harry deserves some privacy, or at least the illusion of privacy, and that's why I have this duty and not someone else."

"But they could be so good together as they used to really like each other. Plus he had needs she can fill, and I know she still likes him," Hermione went on, almost dreamily for her.

"Be that as it may," Tonks expression shifted slightly and took on a steely eyed glint, "you'll leave that part of their lives alone and let them figure it out. Do you understand?"

Hermione had not seen this side of Tonks directed at her before and shrank back slightly. "Yes, Tonks," she meekly answered.

"Now, did you have an official reason to see Harry, or were you just stopping by as a friend?"

"Just being a friend..."

Tonks shifted back to her normal self. "I'll tell them you called." The young woman left and Tonks felt she had done her duty to Harry for the day, or at least what she hoped was the hardest part. She loved Hermione as a little sister, but the girl could be too nosy sometimes for her own good, especially when her curiosity for learning got the better of her. She opened the morning's _Daily Prophet_ back up and started reading where she had left off before. Remus was doing a good job there as the paper's editor.

* * *

Harry woke to a warm weight over his left side and to find that his legs were thoroughly entangled with another pair of legs. He hoped he did not have to jump up to defend himself anytime soon. Glancing at the clock, he saw that had actually slept in a bit, but that was not unexpected considering how late it had been before he had fallen asleep.

His thoughts picked up where they had left off last night. He was quite comfortable sleeping with Ginny and could get used to doing this. As much as he tried not to, his mind compared her and Rachel. There were distinct differences, and yet, they were more similar than appearances would lead a person to first assume.

Both of them were smart, fun, attractive, passionate, blunt with him, and good fighters. They each excelled slightly in different areas and approached things differently, even if they ended up with the same result. They were both friends and he valued each of them greatly, though one of them was now in memory only.

Harry blew a big breath out as he thought about Rachel. That thought still hurt, yet somehow, it was not quite so raw now. He thought the burial had helped a little. He'd heard of "closure" and perhaps the burial had helped with that. He was also keeping busy and had friends around him; he would just have to keep doing that and give time the chance to heal him.

"Are you OK?"

The voice startled him and he jerked slightly. Looking down, he saw Ginny looking at him. She was cute, even if her hair was quite disheveled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. You looked a little sad."

He smiled at her and laid his head back down. "'S'OK. I was thinking about Rachel. The memory still hurts, but maybe not quite as bad. I know it'll take time, but I just wished the hurt would go away."

"I understand. I've dealt with death more than I expected over the last year, but it doesn't really make it any easier to deal with the next one that comes. I think I'm glad though, because if it got easier, I'd be afraid I was going Dark."

Harry snorted. "Wow, that's profound."

"If you say so. Is there anything I can do to help?"

He laid there for a few moments. "No, nothing more than you are now. I think what I need most is a friend who I can tell my feelings and secrets too, and who won't judge me. You've been doing a good job of that."

She smiled and hoped that meant she was making progress. "You do know you've changed, don't you?" When he did not answer, she told him, "The Harry I used to know rarely shared feelings unless he was forced to."

A chuckle escaped Harry. "Oh, please. I wasn't that bad."

"You were. Not as bad as Ron, but you were pretty good at holding things in."

After a few seconds of contemplation, he responded, "It was Rachel and a lot of nights on a secluded beach. I don't know how many hours we spent sitting on the sand in the moonlight talking. She really helped me to understand life and myself. Part of why I left was to try and find the real me. Who was Harry, not The-Boy-Who-Lived that everyone else sees, but who was the real me? She helped me find that me."

Ginny propped herself up on one elbow so she could look at him better. "And what did you find?" She was proud of herself for keeping him in this talkative mood.

"I'm mostly happy with myself. I've had some horrible things happen to me, but they've shaped me in mostly positive ways. I've also made some mistakes, but most of them weren't too bad." He looked at her. "I made a big one with you, Ginny, and I'm very sorry. I should have explained what I was thinking and feeling. If I had, then I don't think we would have had our big fight, and I would not have run away."

"And you would not be the person you are today. I know it hurts when you think about Rachel, and I was really sad and lost when you left, but would you be who you are today without that year in your life? Could you have defeated Tom as you did?" Ginny was not sure where that thought had come from, but she knew it was what he needed to hear.

Harry considered that for several long moments. "I hadn't thought of it like that and I think you're right. I lost a lot of stress and started thinking a whole lot more clearly by being away from here. That also helped my Occlumency get a lot stronger. I never had any scar pain while I was gone; maybe I was too far away or something. Rachel also helped me with my fighting in ways I wouldn't have learned otherwise." He snorted a chuckle. "You're incredible, Ginny. Thanks! I really needed to hear that."

"No problem, that's what friends are for," she told him with a smile. Looking at him and his green eyes by the light of the fake window in the wall, she barely restrained herself from caressing his face and then kissing him. And then the mood of the moment was broken as her stomach rumbled loudly.

A grin came over Harry. "Well, I think I should help my friend out by getting breakfast for us. Why don't you take the bathroom first while I order it?"

She smiled at him and got up. It felt like there was progress between them and that made her happy. Grabbing some clean clothes, she went into the bathroom.

Harry got up and went to the door. In the outer office he found Tonks.

"'Morning, Harry! Did you have a good sleep?"

"Yes, thank you, very restful. Uh, is it possible to get breakfast here so I don't have to go to the cafeteria and be stared at?"

"No problem, anything for our illustrious Minister for Magic..."

"Tonks!"

She laughed. "Just helping to keep your ego in check. Here," she handed her morning paper to Harry, "I think you'll like what you see, or better yet, what you don't see."

He took it. "Thanks."

"Breakfast for two coming up," Tonks told him as she got up.

Harry blushed.

"Nothing wrong with wanting some comfort, Harry. You're both adults so you can do whatever works best for both of you. I will ask though, do you feel better this morning, happy even?"

Harry blushed even more.

"Then remember who made you feel that way and treat her well so some other guy doesn't steal her away. A young and pretty witch in a very visible position like assistant to the Minister for Magic is going to attract attention." At Harry's raised eyebrow, she added, "Just pointing out the obvious in case you've been a bit too busy to notice."

He took a deep breath to try to clear his blush. "Breakfast, Tonks?"

She got up and headed for the door. "Coming up, Harry. Oh, Hermione stopped by for a social call, but I told her you'd find her later."

Escaping back into his office with the paper, Harry skimmed it. It took him a few minutes to figure out what Tonks had hinted at, but he finally realized that there was nothing bad reported about him. It was very factual with very few opinions in the news articles. The opinions, rants, and raves were all on the editorial pages.

Ginny came out of the bathroom fully dressed for the day as Tonks brought breakfast in. If Harry did not know better, he would have said Tonks winked at Ginny, but it had been so subtle and quick, he was not completely sure that's what he had really seen, nor could he think of why she would have winked at Ginny.

He wrote a quick advert for the professor positions, as well as for a caretaker and a groundskeeper, and sent it to Remus with Hedwig. He and Ginny had a nice breakfast together, just the two of them. Harry found it very calming.

* * *

It had been almost two weeks since his victory, and Harry had just finished his biggest task since that monumental day. It had certainly been his most visible task. A very tired Harry pulled off his dress robes as he walked into his office and bedroom for the evening.

It sort of amused him that he had used the office more for a bedroom than a real office. Anytime he had a meeting, he almost always went to someone else's office or a conference room. He wondered if it was because he was trying not to get used to being behind the big desk, and therefore not used to being the Minister for Magic. He thought there might be some truth to that as he considered it more.

He hung his robes up in the small closet in the room, hoping they would be wrinkle free next time he needed them, probably at a press conference in a few days. Being Minister for Magic had been nothing like what he had expected, but then, since he was having to rebuild the government, he suspected this was not what the head Minister normally did. He headed to the toilet to take care of needs there.

Returning to the room, he saw his friend had caught up to him, fortunately with a tray of food. He procured a couple of goblets of wine before he joined her.

"Thanks, Harry."

"No problem, Gin. Thanks for the food, I'm so famished." He dug into the plate of Shepherd's Pie. "This is good. Of course, I didn't think duplicating my signature on so many forms could be so draining either."

She grinned at him. "Final count was four hundred and seven. It was nice of the Arrows to let us borrow their stadium."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, once I asked in person, they were happy to let it be used. Of course, I did notice all the advertising about buying tickets, but I can't really blame them for that."

Ginny washed down her current bite. "It was nice to see Ron and Hermione make it official. I was surprised they were so vague about when they'd take their honeymoon, or even what Ron has been up to. I've always been good about getting information out of him."

"That was surprising," Harry admitted. "I suppose he's had a hard time figuring out what he wants to do, so searching does take some time. I'm glad he's doing it though. I think he needs to do something like this to prove it to himself."

"I think I agree. Umm, you need to try this strawberry cake, it's delicious."

"In a minute. So, did you like Remus and Tonks making it official too?" he asked.

"Yes, but it wasn't as big a deal for some reason. I guess because I'm not related to one of them, though I do think of them as extended family. Do they mean more to you?"

Harry thought about that as he pushed his empty plate away and picked up the small plate of cake. "Maybe. Ron's my best mate and Hermione's been a best friend for years, but Tonks is related to Sirius who was my godfather, and Remus was one of my parents best friends."

"I wondered about that. Well, I'm happy for them and all the other couples. There was a lot of love in the air. Couldn't you feel it?" She wondered what his reaction would be.

"You're right, about the feelings of the afternoon and the cake."

Part of her was disappointed, she'd hoped for a stronger reaction. "Well, it's always nice to be right."

He grinned at her. "You're rarely wrong, Gin. That one of the reasons I trust you."

That made her feel slightly better.

"Come on, let's change and go to bed. It's been a long day. I know we have the day off tomorrow, but I need to go to the school and take care of some things there. You want to come?"

"What are you going to be doing?" she asked as she went over to the cabinet to pull her pyjamas out.

"I need to start going through all the applications that have been sent in, as well as start various things in motion so we can open the school back up in January." He transformed the couch into a bed, as he had down every night for the past week and a half.

"Do you want me to come?"

"I always want you around, Ginny," Harry said seriously. "I probably won't have much time for us to talk while we're there, but I thought you might like to go back and just enjoy yourself there."

She shrugged. "I don't know. Let me think about it." She walked into the bathroom to change. Ginny felt so frustrated at the moment. It was like she took two steps forward only to then take a step backward. He wanted her there, but then had not plan to spend time with her. She supposed she should be glad to be making progress, but patience had never been one of her strong points. Then a thought occurred to her. With a smile, she buttoned up her pyjama top and walked back out.

Harry had changed in the room while she had been out. He was also lying under the blanket now, waiting for her.

She crawled in with him, but did not immediately lay down next to him with her head on his shoulder, as was her new habit. Instead, she leaned on one elbow looking down on him. There were those marvelous green eyes looking up at her, and a small smile suddenly appeared on his lips. She slowly wet her lips, while watching his eyes track down her face before going back up to her eyes. He had not made a move, as if he was transfixed.

Emboldened, Ginny started lowering herself towards him and gently kissed him, more a brush of her lips on his. Opening her eyes back up mere inches from hers, she was completely disappointed that not only was he just staring at her, but he also had not returned the kiss. He had just laid there. She felt crushed.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I thought there was something there, but I guess I'm wrong." Doing her best to hide her true feelings, she started to rise up. "If you'll excuse me, I'll go sleep on the other couch."

Ginny had barely made it back up on her elbow when Harry's arm shot out and went around her waist. "No, wait. I ... Damn! Why do we have to have these moments? Nox!" The lights all went out and Ginny felt herself be pulled back down to him so she was lying on his chest like normal.

She felt him take several deep breaths and waited in her confusion. She had thought she'd seen an invitation from him, but maybe that was just her imagination and wishful thinking.

"Gin," he started slowly and quietly. "Gin you have to understand. It's not you, it's me. I know we had something good together and you want that back, don't you?" He could feel her nodding against his chest. He sighed and put his other arm around her pulling her in closer. "I'm not against that. You're a wonderful person and I have very fond memories of our time together, but I can't do this just yet. I need time. Can you understand that? Can you be patient?"

"How much time, Harry? I had to wait over four years for you before I got you for a couple of months, before you left me for a year. Where are we, Harry? What are we? Just friends at night so we sleep better?"

Harry stroked her shoulder and arm for a moment. "We're definitely friends, and more than at night. I'm glad you're here with me while I'm doing this job; I know I couldn't do it without you. And I definitely need you with me in the evenings; our time of sharing has helped me to cope with things more than you can know, sort of like Rachel did on the beach. But Ginny, I've also just had my heart ripped away a couple of weeks ago and it's still trying to heal. I can tell you that you're a big reason it's healing, but I still need time to work things out for myself."

She thought about that and sill came up somewhat confused, though it seemed mostly positive. But before she could respond, he continued.

"Gin, imagine real hard that we've be dating for a year and things are going well. So well, in fact, that you expect me to propose to you soon. Then," Harry had to stop and take a deep breath, "then something happens and I get killed. How would you feel?"

"Devastated," she said with little pause, understanding what he was driving at.

"And if Michael Corner or Dean Thomas came up to you two weeks after I was gone and asked you out, even if you did like the person, what would you say?"

She was quiet for nearly half a minute before she whispered, "Not yet." Ginny mentally kicked herself. While she had tried to give him some space, she had not fully thought it all through to that level of detail. She had not tried to put herself in his shoes. Still, she had a need and desire.

"Will there eventually be an us?"

"I think so, but I honestly am not sure and I'm sorry for that. Can you give me until the end of the year? That's only a few months away. Can you please be patient and wait for me for that long?"

Ginny thought about that. He sounded hopeful, but yet he would not commit. She wished she understood his thoughts better. Yet, he did seem to think there could be a "them" one day. She had missed him for a year, so a few more months should not matter. At least she knew where he was and could be near him to try an influence him. It almost sounded like a plan. She smiled to herself in the dark.

"Yes, Harry; I suppose I can be patient for that long. But some encouragement from time to time would be helpful," she told him, curious about his reaction.

She felt him move slightly and then felt something touch the top of her head, as if he had kissed her there. "Please be patient, Gin," she heard him say. "You're doing all the right things, so don't stop. Just keep going like you are and be patient."

He did not say anything else and his breathing slowed down. Ginny wanted to believe him, that she was doing the right things, but she still wanted him to be hers and to say it.

* * *

  



	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 - Turn the Page**

As September ended and October came, so did the elections. There were three candidates, none of which Harry had ever heard of. Despite pressure from the candidates, the press, and the public via letters to the _Daily Prophet_ editors (which Remus printed), Harry refused to endorse any of them, saying the public needed to decide. That did not stop him from investigating the candidates and finding out that one of the candidates had formerly had ties to Death Eaters. That information was purposely leaked out and all but killed that one campaign.

When the first Friday of October ended, the British Wizarding world found out that they had elected Horatio Ratliff, formerly of the International Cooperation department, as the new Minister for Magic. A complete Wizengamot was also now in place. The new Minister and the Wizengamot could now start naming and replacing the rest of the department heads, as well as hire new people as needed. A number of former Ministry workers had returned, at least those that had had to run away when Voldemort had taken over. The Ministry was running, though it was very overworked at the moment.

Harry had had to find a new place to sleep with a new Minister now in place, but that had been easy enough as he had a whole castle to himself at the moment. For some reason, he could not go back to Grimmauld Place. No matter how busy his days were, his nights were now lonely.

Ginny could not bring herself to sleep with Harry at Hogwarts, for some reason she could not name, so she started returning to Remus's house at night. Ginny mentally cursed her mother as she was almost sure that was where the guilty feelings that were driving her were coming from. Her bedroom at number twelve Grimmauld Place was lonely.

To help with the transition, Harry, with Ginny's help, started meeting with the new Minister Ratliff. They wrapped up the second day in the Minister's office.

"Minister," Harry said as Ginny handed the man a thick stack of documents, "these are all the laws I repealed over the last month. I don't believe any of them should be re-enacted, but I also believe that's for you and the new Wizengamot to decide."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter. As with everything else you've done here, I doubt I will see any need to change this either." The slightly balding and thin man paused and Harry could tell he was up to something. "I have one more item to discuss today if you don't mind."

"Certainly," Harry easily agreed.

"Actually, this is directed at Miss Weasley." That surprised both of the teens. "I've seen how well you have handled your position, and while you are younger than most people would be for this position, I'm more impressed by results than appearances. Can I talk you into staying on the payroll as my assistant, as you have been for Mr. Potter?"

Ginny's eyes widened as she was taken aback. "I, uh, I don't know. I still need to finish my school work at Hogwarts..."

"Oh yes, I had forgotten that you still had one year left. Still, I don't think you really need it and I'll be happy to give you a generous raise," the Minister offered.

"I'm not really on the payroll, Minister. Harry and I have been doing this because it needs to be done."

"What?" The older man was very surprised. "My my, that is dedication. Well, I can make the offer retroactive without any problems." He saw Ginny look to Harry as if asking him a question. "Oh, how thoughtless of me. Mr. Potter, I hope you'll forgive me. I didn't stop to think that you might have already offered her a position at Hogwarts; and if that is the case, then I'll withdraw my offer."

Harry had started to panic as the Minister had talked about taking Ginny away from him, though he had managed to mostly contain that reaction so it did not show too much. However, the Minister was now giving him an out that he decided he needed to take. "Thank you for your consideration, Minister. While I have not officially offered her a position, I had reserved one for her which I was going to offer to her when we finished at the end of this week." Remembering how much Ginny did not like to be forced into things, Harry added, "However, perhaps I need to tell her soon so she can decide for herself where she wants to be." He saw her smile at the last part for his consideration.

"Wow, I had no idea I would have so many choices," Ginny said.

"Would you have dinner with me this evening, Ginny?" Harry offered. "We can discuss this and a few other things," he told her with a smile, hoping she would accept.

"Thank you, Harry. I'd love to." She turned to the other person in the room. "I'll consider your offer Minister, but you may not get an answer for a week."

Minister Ratliff smiled. "That's fine, Miss Weasley. I'll get a temp out of the pool for the time being. Well, it is about that time, so why don't you two go have a nice evening and we'll meet again tomorrow morning."

Harry escorted her to the atrium where he looked at her with a smile. "Do you trust me?"

She smiled back, "Sure, Harry, with my life."

He smiled and closed the gap between them and pulled her into a hug. She raised an eyebrow at him. With a mischievous grin, he said, "Don't resist me." A few seconds later, he Apparated both of them to a Muggle alley. He looked at them both carefully and pulled out his wand. When she gave him a questioning look, he just smiled back at her as he made a few small transfigurations to their clothing so they would not stand out. Harry noted with a little pleasure that she seemed to like what he had done.

"This way," he told her as he held his arm out for her. Treating the last minute as if it had all been normal, as opposed to the thrill of being held by him, she grabbed onto his arm.

A few minutes later, Harry had escorted her out to the street and down a few doors to a Muggle Italian restaurant. Ginny leaned over and whispered to him, "How did you know about this place?"

"Tonks told me," he replied. The hostess led them to a table for two near the back. A few minutes later, the waiter brought them drinks and took their order.

"So," Harry began, "what are your thoughts about the Minister's offer for a job? Do you want it or are you going to come back to school?"

Ginny played with her water by squeezing the lemon into it and slowly stirring it to give herself a moment to think. Her Weasley scheming trait was presently warring with her honesty trait. Considering Harry had left her last time she let her scheming trait take charge, she buried that temptation and did not try to force him into immediately giving her an offer. "It's tempting, it really is, but I'm not sure it's what I really want to do. To be honest, I don't know what I want to do, but I think I need more challenging work than what he's offering." Harry looked relieved. "Why do you ask? Should I give him more consideration?"

"No, in fact, I'm glad you feel that way. I was very much wanting you at Hogwarts with me."

"Why, Harry? What's there for me besides my NEWTs?" She could not totally deny her scheming trait; besides, she wanted to know what he was thinking.

"I miss you, Ginny." There he had said it.

That made the girl smile. "Thank you, Harry, that's nice to know. But do you just miss me sharing your bed or is it something more?"

Harry had picked up his water to get a drink to cover his nervousness and was glad the glass only to his lips as he heard her question. He took a long drink to give him a moment to mentally recover. "I definitely miss that as my nightmares are coming back and, well, I'm getting lonely in the evening. I've gotten very used to our conversations and sharing in the evenings too." He paused before he mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that last part, Harry. What was it?"

Harry was saved by the waiter bringing his lasagna and Ginny's stuffed eggplant. "Thank you," he told the waiter. "Um, this is good," he said as he took a bite of his food.

Ginny tried some of her eggplant. "Yes, good choice of restaurants. Now, what did you mumble just before our food came?"

He sighed as he realized he was not going to get out of it. "I, uh, I want you to move in with me at the castle, Ginny." He realized he needed to expand on that by the look on her face. "I know I asked you to move to the castle before and that you could have any room you wanted, but this time I mean that I want you to come share my quarters. I really do miss you."

She ate some more dinner while she thought that over, and he let her. "What does this mean for us, Harry? What will we be if I say yes?" She watched him struggle with that thought.

"I don't know," he finally said. "I just know I want you with me; that I need you with me."

Ginny's fork carved out another bite. "I don't know that I can do that without a formal relationship. I know we slept together a lot over the last month, but that's been pretty hidden from all but a very few people. If I move in with you, that's going to become common knowledge pretty quickly; and if it doesn't, it certainly will come January when school starts again." She put the bite in her mouth and waited for his answer. She probably would not tell him no, but it depended on what he said. If he was a prat about it, she would definitely tell him no.

Harry played with his food some more, trying to figure out his heart. He had expected more time before they had this conversation. "Ginny," he finally started before he paused again. "Ginny, I want you there for everything I've said and because I need you there so I can continue my healing. I also need you there, close to me, so we can continue to work on our relationship. I want to continue exploring us, what we can be. I promise I won't pressure you into anything you don't want to do, but I can't give you what you want if you aren't close by."

That was a pretty serious and heart felt answer, she thought. It also sounded like he would eventually ask her to be his girlfriend. She knew her mother would be against this unless a ring was involved, but perhaps she needed to ignore her mother's wishes this time. She had listened to her mother's trainings a week ago when they split sleeping locations and she now felt like they were slowly moving apart. It was nothing she could put her finger on, but she felt it anyway. Of course, maybe she should temper a plain yes slightly.

"Very well, Harry. I'll agree on one condition." She saw joy on his face and that made her feel like this was the right thing to do. "You said you'd decide something about me by the end of the year. I'll still hold you to that. I want a formal declaration of what we are by then or I move out and into the dorm rooms."

Harry was still smiling when she finished. "Thank you for your patience, Ginny. I'll agree to that condition. I promise you won't be sorry. Also, I'll reserve any position on staff that you're qualified for, even if you don't start it until next year."

"That's pretty serious, but OK, I'll think about it. What about until the term starts in January?" she wondered.

"I'd like you to continue to be my assistant as I get things going. You can sort of think about it as being the temporary Deputy Headmistress if you like," he told her with a smirk.

She laughed. "First you try to woo me, now you try to bribe me. Gee, Harry, it seems like you really want me there," she teased him.

"Definitely," he told her as he started to eat again.

"When do you want me there?"

"I'd love for you to come tonight, but tomorrow will work too, especially if you need to wait to avoid a scene with Ron or another brother."

She lightly snorted. "Right, they can go ..." she stopped herself with a slightly embarrassed look. "They don't matter in this decision," she finally said. "When we finish here, come back to the house with me and help me pack. I assume we can Floo in?"

"Yes, I've already added you to the access list of my fireplace."

Ginny laughed. "My, aren't you optimistic."

Harry's smile all but disappeared. "No, just hopeful. Thank you, Ginny. I promise you won't regret it."

They talked about fun memories for the rest of dinner. After Harry paid the bill, he walked them out and back into the Alley. From there, they individually Apparated to the porch of number twelve Grimmauld Place. Harry was not sure why he did not like it here anymore, especially since he had stayed here since Sirius's death, but he did not like it at all. In fact, he had been quite overjoyed when Remus had told him that Sirius had given the house to Remus instead of to Harry. Harry was quite sure he would have given it away.

Harry and Ginny had just walked in the door when they saw Ron come down the stairs with a half empty bottle of Firewhiskey in his hand. "Ah! My drinking mate!" Ron loudly told them. Harry wondered if Ron had already had the missing half of the bottle, but he suspected not as the words were not slurred yet -- just loud.

Ginny whispered in her ear. "Go have one small glass with him if you want. I'll go pack and come find you when I'm ready."

He nodded. "So what's the occasion?"

"I got a job!" Ron loudly announced. "A bloody good job with lots of money." That stopped Ginny on the second step up. She turned to hear the details.

"That's great, Ron. What is it?" Harry queried. He was quite curious about Ron's job, considering how little he had seen his friend over the last month.

"The Cannons! I'm the Keeper for the Canons! We're going to win now! Come on, drink with me, Harry!"

Ginny launched herself towards her brother, almost knocking him down when she ran into him. "Oh, Ron, I'm so happy for you. I know you've always wanted to do that."

"Thanks, sis. Just found out this afternoon. Come on, Harry, come drink with me."

Ginny motioned him on as she ran up the stairs. She purposed to pack very quickly. While she did not think Harry would get drunk again, considering last time after Voldemort's defeat and Rachel's death, she wanted to make sure he did not have time to get drunk. There was no need for it and she did not want anything to happen between her and Harry later tonight that should not happen if he was in control of himself.

Harry joined his friend in the living room. He found Hermione, Bill, and Fleur there. They each said "Hi" as Ron poured a glass for Harry, and refilled the other glasses, even though they were only half empty. Harry realized that while Ron had not drunk half of the bottle, he still had drunk most of the missing half. Most of the time waiting on Ginny was filled with Ron regaling them with all the work he had put into practicing and what the tryouts had been like. By the time Ginny joined him, her packed trunk in hand, Harry had only drunk half of his glass.

Hermione was the first to notice her friend's trunk. "Ginny? Where are you going?"

"Harry invited me to move to the castle again and also offered me a job until the new term starts. I've decided to take it," Ginny explained, doing her best not to look embarrassed.

Fleur was the first to react. She jumped up and almost ran over to her sister-in-law. "Oh Ginny, I'm so proud of you." Harry noticed the French girl's accent was now almost gone. "I bet Harry will make you a lucky woman very soon." Now Ginny did blush.

"Go if that's what you want," Bill told her, "but don't feel like you have to leave. Now that most of the people have left, there's plenty of room and I know Remus doesn't mind. In fact, he told us all the Weasleys can stay here until we get The Burrow rebuilt and we probably won't even start that until the spring."

"Thanks, Bill," she told her brother as she went over and gave him a hug. "I need to do this so Harry and I can figure out what we have." She looked around and saw that Hermione was smiling and nodding, though Ron was now strangely quiet. "Ron, what are you thinking?" A "no" from him would not stop her, but she was curious as his protectiveness of her had not gone away during the war.

Ron did not look at his sister though, he looked at his formerly lost friend. "Harry? Are you going to take care of her and make her an honest woman?"

Harry had to fight a smirk from appearing on his face; he wanted to tease his friend so badly, but he restrained himself, mostly. "Yes, Ron; I promise I'll take good care of her. As for the last part, she still honest now. I just need some time for us to consider, well, us."

After a moment, Ron raised his glass. "To Harry and Ginny, may you have many children in your happiness." Both of the honorees nearly choked on hearing that; Bill and Fleur merely grinned as they looked at each other. They lifted their glasses and said, "To Harry and Ginny."

Harry took one last sip of his Firewhiskey and set the half-empty glass on the table next to Ron, knowing it would not go to waste. "We're off to Hogwarts. You can contact us there in my office or send an owl. Hermione? When you're finished at the Ministry, you're welcome to come help out. I'll even assign you a professor's room."

"Thank you, Harry," his bushy-haired friend answered. "I'll be there Monday morning."

"I'll put you on the access list of the fireplace and you can Floo in to my office. Well, good night everyone." He put a Feather Weight charm on Ginny's trunk and picked it up for her. They left amid good-byes from her family that was present. Ginny would tell the twins later.

As they arrived in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts, Ginny saw that Harry had been busy. It was now clean and many of McGonagall's things were now gone. It was starting to develop a "Harry" flavor. "Watch this," he told her. Pressing on knot on the wall, a door suddenly appeared. "There's an entrance from the hallway too, but you should know this in case you Floo in here as that's the easiest way for you to get into the castle."

Ginny followed him into the Headmaster's bedroom. It was very spacious and looked very comfortable. There was even a couch and a low table in front of the fireplace. She wondered if that had been there before or if Harry had added those items.

They got ready for bed, she in the bathroom and he in the bedroom.

When she went to the bed, he stopped her and drew her into a hug. "As a thank you for doing this, will you be my girlfriend?"

She leaned back and looked at him. His green eyes were so nice, as was the seriousness of his face. Ginny could tell he really meant this. "Yes," she softly told him.

"I'll work on the formal thing for us over the next few months, but I hope this will help me get ready for that."

"Why didn't you ask me this earlier?" She was very curious.

"I wanted to make sure you cared enough to come here first. I guess it's my insecurity, or maybe my doubt about how much I've healed. I'm really pushing myself to do this, but I thought you needed this."

Ginny smiled and pushed up on her toes and brushed her lips against his. This time he smiled and bent his neck down and gave her a short kiss back. It was as sweet as it had been before he left, except for one thing. "You're going to have to do better than that, Mr. Potter. That wasn't nearly long enough."

Harry chuckled. "Well, let's get in bed and I'll see about giving you a longer good-night kiss. We can work on snogging another day. So you know, I'm going to take this slowly, but I promise we will make progress."

Ginny responded by pulling away from him and pulling him into bed. They both crawled under the covers where she gave him a much longer kiss and he responded to her. As she snuggled down against him with her head on his shoulder, she whispered, "I love you, Harry." She felt him kiss the top of her head. Even though he did not say anything to her, she was still happy because of the attention he was showing her.

* * *


	18. Chapter 18

(A/N: Almost done... :-)

**Chapter 18 - My World**

Ginny woke and saw the sun had easily cleared the window sill. That meant she really needed to get up and get going as Hermione would be there soon to start her work at the castle. This was the fourth day of Ginny living with Harry at Hogwarts and life was pretty good. Harry was happy most of the time, but she still occasionally caught him in a sad moment.

On the more positive side, he had taken to holding her hand as they strolled through the corridors. She was impressed with his knowledge of the school, and when she had mentioned it, he had merely replied that the castle told him things. She had never considered that the magic of the castle formed a bond with the Headmaster, but it made sense after she had thought about it.

She took a deep breath as she thought about leaving the warm bed and a warmer Harry. That was when she realized she was on her side and he was spooning her from behind. Normally, they woke up with him on his back and her curled around him with her head on his shoulder. When they woke in this position though, invariably, Harry would be holding her breast, which she kind of liked, although she had never said so. It was also a given that when Harry woke like this, he was always very embarrassed, which she found funny. Ginny also wondered when they would take the next step and have sex, but she was not ready for that yet and had no plans for that until she had an engagement ring.

Ginny felt his hand move a bit, which also happened as he started to wake; then his hand started to move in ways that should not be happening if he was still asleep. Twisting slightly and turning her head as much as she could, she finally saw his face. His green eyes were wide open and he was smiling at her -- no embarrassment at all. She finally realized it was more of a mischievous look.

"Harry?"

"If you don't like it I'll stop, but I figured this was part of boyfriend privileges," he told her softly.

She had never seen Harry so forward. Turning so she was on her other side, facing him now, she noticed that his hand was still on her. "It feels nice," she admitted honestly, "but why now?" The more she looked at him, the more she started to wonder if something had changed within him. Then she realized he was smiling more; it was his more natural look.

"I guess I'm happier," he told her, confirming her observation.

"Why?"

"Well, I was lying here thinking about how much I missed Rachel. Then for some reason, I realized how stupid that was when I had you right here. It hit me that like Sirius, I needed to stop dwelling on the loss, and I needed to start dwelling on the here and now and what I have. In this case, I have you: a wonderful person who loves me and someone I know I can love if I'll only let myself."

"That sounds profound," Ginny told him.

He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Don't know, but I think I'm now ready to move Rachel to the place of fond memories and start concentrating on you." He moved his hand up and held the back of her head so he could pull it forward. With great gentleness, he kissed her forehead. "I still need some time and I know I'll still have the occasional moment of sadness, but I think I'm moving on now. You should be happy because you're the main reason for that."

Ginny scooted up a little and leaned forward and gave him a brief kiss on the lips. "I am happy to hear that and I will wait for you, Harry." She looked over at the clock and saw it was nearing half past eight. "We need to get up though. Hermione will be here soon."

"You take the bathroom first, I'll order breakfast for us." Harry got up and went into the office to call Tilly while Ginny went for her shower. By the time she got out, breakfast was laid out. They both ate in their robes.

Tilly popped back in and handed Harry a note. The elf had retrieved it from an owl. It was a bill for food supplies. This was something else he would have to learn: where the money for Hogwarts was and how it normally paid for everything. He would talk to Albus and Minerva about this today. Seeing Tilly, Harry thought of something else.

"Uh, Tilly? Could you answer something for me?"

"Certainly, Headmaster."

"I haven't seen Dobby since I got here. Where is he?" Harry asked.

The little elf hung her head. "He is gone, Headmaster. When the bad people attacked in June, Dobby and Winky protected the Headmistress while she sealed the castle. That was why there were so many dead evil people: they could not escape. When the castle is sealed like this, only those with a good heart can come and go. The castle recognized you and let you in."

"And what happened to Dobby and Winky? I know you brought the bodies of the professors out so they could be buried, but what do elves do with their dead?"

"They are burned, Headmaster. Other than the abomination that some Dark families do, you will never find an elf body," Tilly explained.

Harry contemplated that, considering how little he knew about House-Elves. Of course, now that he thought about it, he realized he knew very little about any of the non-human intelligent magical races. "Tilly, you don't have to do this, but would you be willing teach the students about House-Elves as a professor would?"

"Me teach, Headmaster?"

"Yes, Tilly. I'm thinking for about a month," Harry told her.

"Why only a month, Harry?" Ginny asked.

A lecturing look came over Harry. "I'm thinking about creating a new required course called Survey of Magical Races. I think there are enough races that if I could get someone of that race to come teach, it would take two terms to cover all the material. Each of the eight or nine guest professors would have about a month to give an overview of their race to help the students understand how that race thinks, what's important to them, an overview of their history and culture, how they view and interact with wizards, and so forth. I think that could help remove some prejudices we wizards have."

"I think that's an excellent idea, Harry. What do you think, Tilly? Would you teach us about House-Elves?" Ginny asked.

The elf beamed for a moment, then her look turned into one of sadness. "I would be willing, Headmaster, but I do not think I would be listened to."

Harry considered that. "Hmm, you have a point, especially in regards to the pureblood children. I guess I'd have to have a Wizard professor there to make sure they behave. That would make it easier on you too, as the Wizard could do the testing and grading." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yes," he drawled, "I like it. So Tilly, if I had someone there to make sure the students behaved properly, would you be willing to talk about House-Elves and teach us about your society?"

"Yes, Headmaster, I would proudly tell about House-Elves."

"Thank you, Tilly, I talk more about it with you later." Harry was quite happy. The course would have to be taught to almost everyone the first year, then it could become a course for only the second years. He also considered making Muggle Studies a required course for those raised in magical homes; that would be for first years. Harry also wondered if he should create a Wizard Studies course for those raised in Muggle homes; a short "Orientation to the Wizarding World" lecture did not seem to be enough in his mind. He remembered how lost he had been his first year.

"That's an excellent idea, Harry," Ginny told him as she interrupted his thoughts. "Hey, look at the time, we better get dressed quickly. Hermione will be here at any moment." She jumped up and started searching for clothes and Harry did the same. He was pleased that she was comfortable enough to run around in a short T-shirt and knickers in front of him.

Harry barely made it out into his office before the fireplace belched out Hermione.

"Good Morning, Hermione."

"'Morning, Harry. Where's Ginny?"

"She'll be here in a few minutes. We got delayed this morning while we talked to Tilly about House-Elves. I have this idea to have a new mandatory course about the various magical beings, but it would be guest taught by one of the beings."

"You mean like having a House-Elf talk about House-Elves? And a werewolf talk about werewolves?" Hermione asked with interest.

"Yes, exactly. I'd like to create more understanding."

Hermione beamed. "That's an excellent idea, Harry. I can't wait to take it."

Harry chuckled. "You're welcome to come sit in on it, but it won't start until next fall. I'll work out something so it does not conflict with the Transfiguration classes you'll be teaching."

The brunette looked happy. "Thanks, Harry."

The young Headmaster walked over to his desk and picked up a stack of parchments. "Anyway, here are the résumés I've received so far. Would you please sort these into piles by topic, then start evaluating them. Feel free to order them by criteria of your choosing; Ginny can help you. I need to go run an errand, and when I return, we can start going over them and selecting which ones merit further attention."

"Sure thing, Harry. Where are you going?"

"I'm about to go recruit a Deputy Headmaster, or so I hope." Ginny walked in at that time, so he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'll be back shortly. Help Hermione, if you would, please." He gave Ginny a quick peck on the cheek and went to the fireplace. Throwing some Floo Powder in, he said, "The Daily Prophet Building" and left.

Ginny looked at Hermione, who was grinning at her younger friend. "What?"

"I take it that you and Harry are an item now?"

The redhead blushed. "Yes. He formally asked me to be his girlfriend again after I moved in the other night."

"I'm happy for you, Ginny. Here," Hermione handed the other girl half of the parchments, "we need to categorize these, then we need to start evaluating them."

* * *

Harry came out of the fireplace at the newspaper; it was a busy place. He walked up to the first person he saw -- a young lady searching in a filing cabinet. "I need to speak to Remus Lupin." 

"Yeah, you and everyone else. He's too busy at the moment, come back next week." She had never looked up from what she was doing.

"Well that was rude," Harry replied indignantly.

The woman finally turned around. "Look, we really very busy, and..." She instantly recognized him when she saw his face. "Mr. Potter! I'm so sorry! Come this way and I'll take you to Mr. Lupin."

Harry could not decide whether to be happy he was getting his wish, or sad that it was his fame that got action. He followed the young woman and a moment later he was standing in the office of the chief editor. "Remus!"

"Harry! Come in and sit down. Tea?"

"No thanks."

"So, what are you here for? Need another ad for professors?"

The-Boy-Who-Conquered smiled. "Not really, I just want to recruit one in particular."

"Oh, who?"

"You, Moony!" Harry told him with a big smile. "I need a Deputy Headmaster and I think you would be a great one."

Remus was shocked. "I, uh, I don't know what to say..."

"I think 'Yes Harry, I'd love to' would be a good answer," Harry teased.

Moony smiled for a moment then turned serious. "I would love to, Harry, but I'm afraid I'll have to turn you down."

"Why? I thought you loved your time when you taught at Hogwarts." Harry really was mystified.

"I did, but things have changed," Remus explained. "You have to understand that I really like running the paper now, and I feel I'm really helping the Wizarding World by doing this, more so than if I was at Hogwarts. I'm sorry, Harry."

Harry thought about that and then started to slowly nod. "I see, and you make an excellent point."

"Besides, I really need to stay here." Harry raised an eyebrow. "You see, I own the paper now."

"What?!" Harry exclaimed.

"Well, since the previous owner was a Death Eater and had to sell it, I bought it for Knuts on the Galleon and got a great price for it. I used up most of the inheritance I had left from Sirius, but I'll make it back eventually. And well, this is just more important than letting the gold just sit in the vault." Remus looked slightly apologetic, but not much.

Harry smiled and nodded. "All right, I understand. Well, I'll leave you to it then. Perhaps we can have dinner sometime and you can tell me about it all?"

"Sure, Harry, Tonks would love to have you and Ginny over for dinner some time. By the way, are you making any progress with Ginny? I heard she joined you at the castle." Remus had a mischievous grin on his face.

Harry briefly looked down for a moment as he tried to control his slight blush. "Yes, we're dating now." The werewolf beamed at him. Trying to change the topic, Harry said, "Dinner sounds good, so let me know when. We're free most evenings." Seeing that his old friend looked ready to tease him some more, Harry quickly stood so he could make a hasty retreat. "Take care, Remus."

"You too, Harry. If you need anything, personally or professionally, do ask. The worst I can do is say no."

Harry smiled, pleased at the friendship and that he was able to get away without more teasing. "Later!" he called out as he left.

Now Harry had a quandary. Who was he going to be his real Deputy? Ginny could do it until school started as all he really needed was an administrative assistant, but after that, she would be quit busy.

He arrived back at his office and went into the conference room off of his office and found both girls reading résumés. There were a number of stacks on the big table in the room.

Hermione looked up. "So, what happened?"

"Remus said 'No,'" Harry told them with chagrin. "He's bought the _Daily Prophet_ and plans on running it. I can't blame him as it would be a very good thing to have an honest person in charge of the main Wizarding newspaper."

"Makes sense," Hermione agreed. "I just heard about him buying the newspaper yesterday. So who are you going to ask next?"

"I have no idea at the moment. I'll have to look at the résumés you have here, or else hope that someone comes to mind," Harry said. "I need to talk to Albus and Minerva about some things. Call me if you need me," he told the girls, who waved as he walked back into his office.

"Albus, Minerva," Harry said as he sat in the big chair behind the desk. "What can you tell me about how I get money to pay for things here, as well as other financial matters?" He picked up and quill and parchment and start taking notes.

* * *

After lunch, the girls were still looking over the résumés while Harry continued talking to Albus and Minerva, still gathering information. He felt an odd sensation for a brief moment, but it was very minor. Not knowing what it was, he continued asking how student payments worked. A few minutes later, Tilly popped in. 

"Headmaster, sir. You have a visitor at the front door."

"Oh? Do you know who it is?" Harry asked.

"It is former student Seamus Finnegan, Sir."

"Thank you, Tilly, I'll go meet him." Harry stepped into his quarters just enough to summon his broom, then he went down into the main corridors and flew to the front door, cutting several long minutes off the journey. He opened the door and sure enough, there was his old dorm mate.

"Seamus?"

"Harry, or should I call you Headmaster now?" There was the slightest of grins on the Irish boy's face, though he seemed mostly serious.

"I believe that Harry will continue to work." Harry looked very intently at his old friend. "Sorry to ask this, but are you really Seamus Finnegan?"

The boy nodded, "Aye, no offense taken, Harry."

Harry could detect no falsehood and withdrew his passive Legilimency. "I assume you used your broom to fly over the gates?" he asked while pointing to the broom in Seamus's hand.

"It seemed the easiest way. I hope you don't mind, but I didn't know how else to contact you on short notice."

"Why are you here?"

Seamus seemed to swallow hard before he said, "Actually, I'd like to talk to Ginny." Harry raised his right eyebrow. "I saw Fred, or maybe George, in Diagon Alley and he said you both were working here now. I know that was in the _Daily Prophet_, which seems to have been more truthful lately, but I still wasn't sure I could trust it."

Harry smiled. "It is more truthful because Remus Lupin is in charge of it. And yes, Ginny is here, as is Hermione." For some reason, that seemed to brighten the expression on the visitor. "Come on in," Harry entreated Seamus, "and you can do something you couldn't otherwise. You can fly through the castle," Harry finished with a grin.

Seamus came in so Harry could close the door, then he followed Harry, flying through the castle. When they landed outside of the Headmaster's office, Seamus whooped. "Wow, that was fun!"

The gargoyle recognized Harry and automatically moved aside so the two young men could go up. In the office, Ginny and Hermione were visible through the doorway to the conference room. When the girls saw Seamus, they both smiled and came out to greet him.

"Hi Seamus," they said almost in chorus. Each girl also gave him a quick hug.

"Did you come to apply for a job?" Hermione asked.

"Uh, n-not exactly," Seamus stammered a bit and looked embarrassed. "I, uh, I came to talk to Ginny. Ginny? Could we talk somewhere, in private?"

The redhead gave him a questioning look, but he did not say anything else. "If you'd like. Why don't we step into the conference room?" She looked at Harry, but he only shrugged at her, so she turned and walked back into the other room and Seamus followed her.

After they entered the room, Harry heard Ginny say. "Please don't close the door. It's not that I don't trust you, but because of the war, I fully trust only a very limited number of people, and most of them have Weasley as a last name."

"But then how can we talk privately?" came Seamus's voice.

"_Imperturbable!_" Ginny cast, then it went silent.

Harry looked at Hermione. "So what do you think that is about?"

"I don't know, but I could make a reasonable guess." As Harry started to say something, Hermione stopped him by continuing to talk. "You don't have anything to worry about, Harry. Ginny can take care of herself and she's devoted to you. Now, let's talk to the former Headmasters and Headmistresses while we wait. We're going to need to know the various duties of the professors so we know what to look for while we're hiring."

* * *

Ginny set her wand down on the table in front of her after she cast the privacy spell. There was one open seat between her and her visitor, which she had purposefully put between them. Perhaps the level of non-trust she displayed around those she had not lived with for the last year, Harry not withstanding, was unwarranted, but it was now habit. It was also a habit that had helped to keep her alive. "What did you want to talk about, Seamus?" 

"How are you doing, Ginny? I haven't seen you a long time."

She thought that was a strange answer to her question. "I'm fine. What did you want?" she asked again.

He exhaled a big breath and took a big breath in, as if steeling himself. "I wanted to know if you'd go out with me. I was afraid you'd be with Harry again, but since Hermione is here, I'm hoping you're available."

Ginny gave him a small smile. "What about Lavender? I understood you two were close."

Seamus's expression became sad. "She died about seven months ago. I was visiting her when a group of Death Eaters attacked the neighborhood where her parents lived. I was badly injured, but she and her entire family were killed."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"That's all right, so many people have died in the war it's hard to know who's still with us and who's not. But I think I'm over her enough I can start trying to be normal again. The problem is there are so few girls, so when I saw your brother, I asked where you were. He wouldn't tell me if you were involved with anyone, just that you could be contacted here at the school."

Ginny smile turned into one of sympathy. "I'm sorry for you losing Lavender. I'm also sorry to have to tell you that Harry and I are dating. You're a nice guy, but I think Harry and I will work something out."

He dropped his head and nodded to acknowledge her. "I was afraid of that when I saw him. I was hoping he'd be with Hermione."

"No, Hermione and Ron married recently."

The young man acknowledged that with a nod. "I guess I'll just have to keep looking for someone to share life with."

"Seamus, if you'd like, you could apply for a job here. Maybe that would help you meet some young witches that are only a couple of years younger than you are."

A small chuckle escaped from the boy. "Right, like what would I do here? I wasn't as good in school as you or Hermione. I wasn't even as good as Harry."

"There are a couple of positions open that you could do, ones that we don't have any applicants for, either." She looked at the piles of résumés on the big conference room table and pointed at the two empty but labeled places. "Harry wants a wizard or witch to be caretaker and groundskeeper, both. The flying instructor position is also open."

"Me be a Filch?" Seamus asked aghast.

"You better not be or you won't get the job," Ginny informed him. "Harry wants someone who can use magic, therefore, he will be able to do both what Filch was supposed to do, and what Hagrid did, and I suspect you'll still have time to spare. You could try it for the coming spring term, and if you don't like it, go find something else next summer."

Seamus thought about that. "Well, I don't really have anything else lined up and I do need a job. OK, I'll fill out an application."

She grinned. "I'll be right back." She walked out into the conference room and found some parchment.

Harry looked at her with concern and asked, "Everything OK?"

Ginny walked over to him and, hoping she was reading the situation correctly, she grabbed his head and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "Everything is OK, Harry. Seamus decided he wants to apply for a job." With a stunned look on his face and a giggle from Hermione, Ginny returned to Seamus so he could write up an application.

By the time Seamus was ready to leave, he had the job for caretaker and groundskeeper, along with the threat that no Filch-like behavior would be tolerated. Hogwarts would be a comfortable place to learn.

* * *

After walking Seamus to the front door and starting to return to his office, Harry came across something he had never expected to find: a new ghost. 

"Where did you put her, you idiot? Where's my Mrs. Norris?"

"Filch..." he said with resignation. "I thought I was rid of you."

"You can't get rid of me, Potter. I'll make your life hell here. I'll find a way to put you in the thumbscrews in my office."

Shaking his head, Harry ignored the ghost and continued onto his office, ignoring all the insults being hurled at him. As he entered his office, he immediately went to his favorite researcher. "Hermione? I need a huge favor, one that you'll appreciate as well."

"Oh? What is that?"

"I need you to find a spell, ritual, what have you, to send a ghost on to the next life," he said with determination in his voice. "We need to send one, or maybe two on or we'll never have a happier Hogwarts."

"Who?"

"I just ran into the ghost of Argus Filch," he said with disgust.

"Oh bloody hell," Ginny exclaimed. "Yes, that mean old man needs to go. Who else did you have in mind, Harry?"

"I need to go have a conversation with Binns. He won't be teaching History anymore. I really don't mind if he stays around, but I thought I'd give him the chance to go forward since we won't be using his services any more."

Hermione pulled out a little book and wrote in it. "I'll start working on that soon, Harry."

"Thanks! I guess we can get now get back to hiring professors." Harry picked up the stack for Potions, very glad that he would never have to face Severus Snape again. As he started to look through the résumés, he started to chuckle.

"What?" Hermione asked, not remembering anything funny on the résumés she had looked over.

"Me. I was thinking about how funny it is that I'm now Headmaster though I haven't taken my NEWTs."

"That is interesting," Hermione said excitedly. "In fact, according to _Hogwarts: A HIstory_, you are the first person since the founders to be Headmaster who did not graduate from Hogwarts. You'll also be the first Headmaster who does not have any NEWTs since the NEWTs were invented. But I think you'll do a good job, Harry."

Ginny leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I don't care about that, Harry. I think you're cute enough to be Headmaster anytime you want, NEWTs or no NEWTs."

Harry blushed at that. That also got him to remembering that Remus had turned him down to being the second in command. "Say Hermione, how would you like to do more than teach Transfiguration?"

"I suppose that depends on what you had in mind, Harry. You already offered to let me be head of Gryffindor. What else could you offer me?"

He gave his friend an evil grin. "How would you like to be Deputy Headmistress when school starts in January?"

Both Harry and Ginny laughed at her gobsmacked look. She was silent for nearly a full minute before she said, "I'll think about it."

* * *


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 - We are Family**

Harry and Ginny were arguing. It was not a shout and insult type of argument; no, they were arguing about who would open their present first while they sat by their little Christmas tree in their pyjamas in their quarters at Hogwarts. Each wanted to want the other their present so he or she could watch.

"Please, Ginny, open yours first."

"No way, Harry Potter, you will open yours first." Ginny picked up the somewhat large but flat box and shoved it into his hands. Her Quaffle sized wrapped box sat in front of her. They each had one present from the other.

"Fine!" Harry harrumphed. "But next year, you are opening your present first."

"Next year?" All argument left her voice.

"Well, I don't see why not. We seem to have gotten along pretty well in the last couple of months since we started dating." When Ginny did not answer, Harry pulled the wrapping paper off of his present. Opening the box, he pulled away the tissue paper padding and saw some of the finest purple material he had ever seen. There were golden stars and moons all over it. Touching it, he found it was smoother than any cloth he had ever held. "What is it?" he asked as he pulled it out.

"New robes, silly," she teased him.

He rolled his eyes at her. "No, what's this material?"

"It's made from Acromantula silk. It's the smoothest yet toughest material known to wizards. It also has built in cooling and heating charms so it's always the right temperature and they never wrinkle," she told him as if she had been reading a brochure.

Harry chuckled. "You want me to look like Dumbledore did, don't you?"

"Not really, but I knew there were times that something like this might be useful to you. And if you wanted to let others infer that you had the power and genius of Albus Dumbledore because you happen to wear something similar, I didn't think that was entirely bad."

Looking in the box, he also found a second set of robes. They were dark blue with silver magical symbols on them, symbols which slowly moved over the garment. "These are amazing, Gin. I can't believe you did this. They must have cost you a fortune."

She giggled. "Honestly, they didn't. When I walked into Madam Malkins to get you some robes like this, she recognized me from our pictures in the paper. Then when I gave her your measurements, which obviously wouldn't have fit me, she knew they were for you and charged me what normal robes would cost. It was nice but scary."

Harry snorted. "I understand. The few times I've walked into a pub for a drink, as soon as I was recognized, I had everything I wanted to eat and drink for free. Part of me was upset at that, but then I also realized it wasn't going to go away, and I suppose this is these people's way of saying thank you for us fighting in the war. If I look at it as part of the war effort, I don't get quite so upset."

"That's an interesting way to look at it."

"Thank you for these, Gin; I'm sure I'll be the envy of everyone." He reached over and put one hand behind her head and pulled her over. She did not resist and returned his kiss with passion.

"Umm, yummy," she teased him. "OK, my turn." She picked up the box. "Harry? Are you sure you remembered to wrap the present? The box feels empty."

"Positive, it's just very light." He smirked at his own pun, one she had no reason to understand -- yet.

Tearing the wrapping paper off, she saw instructions on the top of the box: _**Set box on floor; tap with wand; sit back and enjoy the presentation**_

She looked at him with skepticism. "This looks like something from my brothers. Are you sure it's safe to open?" One never knew what the twins could put in a box this size. The original portable swamp box was about like this.

"Quite sure, Gin. I checked it myself. Just follow the instructions."

So she set the box down as far away from her as possible, leaned forward and tapped the box on top with her wand, and quickly moved back as far away as their small sitting area allowed.

For a couple of seconds, nothing happened. Suddenly, the top unfolded itself and the sound of trumpets blew. Miniature fireworks went off scaring both of them. The glowing sparks hung in the air and moved to spell out: _This personal message brought to you by WWW, where we are wheezes._

Ginny looked over at her boyfriend and saw him grinning from ear to ear.

Another trumpet fanfare started and she swung her attention back to the box. More miniature fireworks came out, and as their sparks coalesced into a message this time, Harry voice also came out of the box as if reading the message. "Ginevra Molly Weasley ... Because I love you, will you marry me?"

She looked back at her boyfriend and saw him looking a little unsure of himself, although he was looking her right in the eyes. With a feral look, she launched herself at him, tackling him. They rolled on the floor and Ginny made sure she came out on top. She pressed all of herself against him, especially her lips.

Harry was in heaven as he felt his girlfriend wiggle and then lay on top of him. Her snogging skills were unmatched, even better than Rachel's, though he was not going to be telling Ginny that. His hands roamed over her, caressing her over her thin pyjamas. He had no idea how long they lay there sucking each other's tonsils out; and frankly, he did not care.

"Yes," she finally said as she came up for air before she started to snog him again. All the time she had been friends with him over the years, the studying of the maps, tracking him down, bringing him back to England, and then working with him since the Final Battle, had been worth it. She loved this man.

When she came up for air the second time, Harry gasped, "I think you forgot something."

A puzzled look came over her. "What?"

"Look at the box again."

She turned her head and noticed that the message had changed. It now said, "Psst, look in the box." She also saw a glow coming out of the box. Carefully getting up, she crawled over and looked in. Lit up with what had to be small Spotlight Charms was a sparkling little item hovering in the middle of the box. The sparkle almost blinded her.

"Go ahead a grab it," Harry encouraged her. "It's only held up by a Levitation charm, so it won't hurt you."

Ginny reached in and grabbed the item and pulled it out. It had to be the largest diamond on a ring she had ever seen. There were also seventeen very little diamonds around the big central diamond.

Harry pulled the ring away from her and grabbed her left hand. Realizing what he was doing, she extended her fingers and let him slide it on. She felt it shrink slightly as it sized itself to her finger. "So, I promised I'd do something formal by the end of the year, Ginny. This is my promise to you. I'm yours until death do us part. You just have to set the date."

She looked at him in deep thought for a moment, then a mischievous smile overcame her. "New Year's Eve, Harry. I only want a small wedding and everyone is here for the holidays."

He was shocked. "You sure?"

"Yes. Are you not sure about marrying me?" She was joking a little, but she also hoped she had not put him off of marriage.

"I've very sure about you, and if you want to get married before the year ends, then we shall," he promised her. "But why the rush?"

"Because I want you Harry Potter," Ginny said with sincerity. "You've been the perfect gentleman, well -- mostly," she said with a small blush, "and I've been the almost perfect young lady. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to stop that."

Harry wiggled his eyebrows and gave her a suggestive face. "We don't have to be at Remus's house to see everyone until lunch, so we have several hours."

Ginny groaned. "You don't know how tempting that is, but let's wait six days. If I've waited this long, I can wait six more days." Another thought had been running through her mind, and she decided now was a good time to bring it up. "Harry?"

"Yes, love?"

"Will you promise me one thing?" He gave her a questioning look, especially since her tone and posture had changed to one of uncertainty. "Please promise me that you won't tell me about Rachel and you in ... bed. I don't want to know if you did it, or if so, how I compare." She was nervously looking down and twisting her new ring around.

Ginny felt his hand touch the side of her face and stroke it once before the hand pulled her face up to look at him. With an intensity she had rarely seen in him, he slowly said, "I promise." She gave him a smile at that.

"I promise I won't compare the two you in any way except for one, and I'll tell you that now. Rachel was who I needed during that year I was away. I don't think you could have helped me then. I needed to be totally free of here to find the real me. But now that I know who I am and what I need, I can also tell you that only you can hold this place in my heart now, she can't. I can't forget Rachel and she has a special little spot as a cherished memory, but all of my loving heart is yours and no other's, not even Rachel's. You never need to worry about her or anyone else. You are all I will ever need, Ginny."

Tears came to Ginny's eyes and she threw her arms around Harry's neck. "Thank you, Harry. I so needed to hear that."

After she let go, Harry told her, "Why don't you take the bathroom first and get ready for later? I'll use it next and then we can go over. I know we'll be a couple hours early, but we can use the time to visit with your family."

Ginny kissed him again before she got up. She had had no idea what he was going to get her for Christmas, but she knew her ring was the best present she could have possibly have gotten. Well, the ring was just for show, she thought as she looked at it again. Her real present had been Harry.

* * *

Ginny was standing on the balcony outside of their quarters enjoying the morning July sun. It might be a bit warm later today, she thought as she looked over the grounds, but the warm sunshine and warm breeze felt wonderful on her skin. 

Harry spied his wife of six months on their balcony, the one he had had the elves build. It had been one of his best ideas while Headmaster, or so he thought. He silently walked up behind his wife, who was in only shorts and a loose T-shirt, much like he was, and wrapped his arms around her. "'Morning, Ginny love." His hands slipped under her shirt and he felt her belly, which now was slightly rounder than when he had married her. If all went well, there would be three Potters in mid-December.

"'Morning, Husband." She enjoyed calling him that. It felt so possessive, and she did enjoy possessing him and his body, which was why she was now a little more than three months pregnant.

"So what do you think?" he asked her.

"I think it will be a nice day," she said as she looked over the grounds at Hogwarts. She especially liked looking over the lake.

He laughed. "I'm sure, but I meant about my question to you yesterday. Do you want to be the Muggle Studies teacher this coming year? I don't know why I've had such a hard time finding one, but I have."

She put her hand over his and moved them slowly over her belly. Ginny liked that, and thought she would even more as the baby grew. She could hardly wait to feel him -- Harry's son -- kick her. "I'll do it if you can't find anyone else. I learned a lot about Muggles during the war when I had to go into Muggle areas, but I'm really not the best person to teach that. Hermione would be the best, but I can't do Transfiguration as well as she can."

"I'll keep looking and see if I can find anyone else, but I'm sure you'll do fine," he assured her.

As they were about to go in to have a late breakfast, Ginny felt Harry stiffen. "What?" she asked.

"I just felt a visitor come through the wards at the gate." They stayed where they were and watched that direction. Nearly ten minutes later, they saw what appeared to be a woman with dirty blonde hair slowly walking up the path from the main gates.

"Shall we go see who it is?" Harry asked. They both went inside, threw on some normal clothes, and grabbed their wands before heading to the front door of the castle. There were a few other professors in the castle, but that was all at the moment.

Harry opened the front door and the Potters waited with wands drawn, but hanging at their side. Another couple of minutes later, a young woman came around the corner of the castle at a leisurely pace. Harry grinned and put his wand up.

"Who's that?" Ginny asked.

Harry did not answer. Instead, he stepped forward and opened his arms. The young woman started running and threw her arms around his neck when she got there. They hugged each other tightly.

"Harry, I wasn't sure I was going to find you."

Ginny recognized that accent, and it did not come from around here; but where had she heard it before?

"Pamela, what brings you to Hogwarts?"

That name rang a bell in the back of Ginny's mind too, but she still could not connect the dots.

"You," she said and then laughed.

Harry laughed with her. Hearing a small noise behind him, he suddenly realized he was about to get himself in deep trouble. Letting go of the newcomer, he stepped backward and grabbed his wife's hand so he could pull her forward. "Pamela, I'd like you to meet Ginny, my wife. Ginny, this is Pamela, Rachel's sister, as well as my honorary sister."

Now Ginny understood and let a genuine smile come upon her. "Hi, it's nice to meet you. We were about to have breakfast, won't you come in and join us?"

The blonde returned the smile, "Thank you, Ginny, that would be nice. I haven't had breakfast this morning."

"Where did you stay last night?" Harry asked her as he led her inside.

"I stayed in Hogsmeade. I would have come up last night, but it was pretty late when I got in. So, this is Hogwarts? It's an impressive place to live," Pamela told him, then she walked into the Great Hall and saw the ceiling. "Oh wow..." she said reverently, "that's awesome."

Harry smiled. "Thanks, we like it here. My childhood was not a happy one, so when I came here, this became my home and I've loved being here ever since."

"I can see why. You must give me a tour." Pamela was still wide eyed, and that continued when Nearly-Headless Nick and the Fat Friar walked through the wall in deep conversation and continued on through the wall on the other side of the large room.

The three sat at a round table on the main floor. Tilly popped in carrying food and an extra place setting.

"So, what have you been doing, Pamela?" Harry was curious about that and why she was here.

"I just finished my philosophy degree at a Muggle university. After you left, I sold the shop to Pat and returned to school, throwing myself into my studies so I would not have to remember too much. I managed to finish my degree, but I have no family left and I didn't know what to do with myself for a while. Then I remembered you and your invitation to come be with you as my family." Her serious look morphed into a teasing one. "So, here I am to crash at your place for the summer months and have some fun."

Harry and Ginny laughed. "You're always welcome to come visit, Pamela."

Ginny leaned over to her husband and whispered into his ear. Since she was on the other side from Pamela, she also nibbled on his earlobe when she finished. She was satisfied with the result when she saw him shiver and quickly move away from her. Ginny puckered and blew him a kiss before she said, "Go ahead, ask her."

Pamela tilted her head and raised an eyebrow in question.

Harry thought about it for a moment before he shrugged and turned to his visitor. "Say, Pamela, since you're free, would you like to have a job for the next year? Or if you like it, you could stay even longer."

"Oh? Doing what?"

"Well, I've had trouble finding a Muggle Studies teacher. Since you've spent a lot of time in the Muggle world, would you like a job teaching?" Harry inquired.

Pamela pursed her lips and thought about for a moment. "Any single young men here on staff?"

Ginny had wondered if she had come for more than saying hi to Harry. "There is one nice one who is unmarried. There are also some in Hogsmeade too. As a professor, you could go there during your free time."

Nodding her head in acknowledgement, Pamela continued to think. "How long will you and Ginny be here?"

Harry laughed. "That probably depends on what day you ask me. Some days, I want to take Ginny and go away and live on the beach again. However, most days, I think I'll stay here and enjoy the mostly easy and fun life as a Headmaster. I had planned to do this for a year or so until I found someone good enough to take over, but I'm finding I really like doing this. It's not a concrete answer, but it's the best you're going to get."

"So you'll be here at least a couple of years more?"

"I think that's a safe bet. Ginny?" She nodded her agreement .

"Then I accept. This sounds like something that could be fun for a while until I figure out what I want to do," Pamela said.

"Excellent," Harry told her. "I'll give you a tour and we can have you sign a contract for the next year. I think you'll like it here. Ginny and I do."

Ginny was happy she would not have to teach now; she could be just a mom, at least for this next year.

Harry stood when they had finished breakfast and said to Pamela, "Come on, let me give you the grand tour." He put his arm around Ginny and led his visitor around the castle -- his home. Yes, it really felt more like his home. Harry wondered if he'd ever leave here. He looked at Ginny and saw her bright and loving smile at him. Harry realized that it really did not matter. As long as he had Ginny with him, he was at home wherever they lived.

"I love you," he told his wife quietly.

Ginny did not know what that was for, but she gave him her heartfelt response. "And I love you, Harry Potter."

(the end)

* * *

(A/N: And so our tale ends. I have a real love/hate feeling for this story. I wanted to explore a bit and had an idea in my head, but had such trouble pulling it off. For that, my apologies. I think I know how to fix a lot of the problems with this story, most of which come in the first 3 chapters, so maybe I'll do that some day. Many of the reviews and comments I've received have helped me with that, and so I thank each of you who have taken the time to review -- even those of you who said you did not like the story. 

Again, I'd like to give a huge thanks to my pre-beta Paul and my final-beta David. Thanks guys for your encouragement, suggestions, and help! This story would have been far worse without your help.

Oh well, I have other stories I need to archive here, and some new ones in development. So much to do and so little time. :-)


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